We Will Stop Femicide Platform released its “First Six Months Data Report of 2026”. Among the attendees in the conference held in Bilim Beyoğlu were the families of the murdered women, representatives from various organizations, and members of the press.
According to the report, at least 150 women were murdered by men in the first six months of 2026, while during the same period, at least 151 women were found dead under suspicious circumstances, such as falling from balconies or deaths staged as suicides. It was also revealed that the deaths of 12 women, previously recorded as suspicious, were in fact femicides. The report further noted that the number of suspicious deaths exceeding that of confirmed murders indicates perpetrators' tendency to cover up killings, as well as shortcomings in the investigation processes.
Perpetrators of women are those closest to them
According to the report, the vast majority of women are killed by acquaintances, partners, or former partners. In the first six months of 2026, husbands, ex-husbands, male partners, fathers, sons, or relatives were top among the perpetrators. Of the 150 women killed in the first six months of this year, 64 were killed by the man they were married to, 17 by their male partner, 10 by their ex-husband, and 4 by their former male partner.
The safest spaces are the most dangerous places
Underlining that the government's declared "Year of the Family" discourse continuously imposes home, family, and caregiving roles on women, the report supports with data that the overwhelming majority of women are killed in their own homes, showing that homes have ceased to be safe havens for women. According to the data, 92 out of the 150 women killed in the first 6 months of 2026 were murdered in their homes.
"Pretexts"
Of the 150 women killed in the first six months of 2026, 17 were murdered because they wanted to get a divorce, separate, or end the relationship; in other words, because they wanted to make decisions regarding their own lives. According to the report, in 78% of the femicides, even the pretext for the murder could not be determined. This situation demonstrates that violence against women is systematically made invisible.
Policies of impunity
According to the data in the report, in the first six months of this year, 15 women were murdered by men with prior criminal records. Some of the murdered women had active restraining or protection orders at the time of the crime. Of the 150 women killed in the first six months, 8 (5%) were benefiting from protection or injunction measures under “Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence Against Women” at the time they were killed.
According to the report, 4 of the murdered women had no protection or injunction orders under Law No. 6284 at the time of the murder. Conversely, information regarding the status under Law No. 6284 for 138 women (or 92%) could not be accessed. The report also emphasized that due to the ineffective implementation of Law No. 6284 and negligence by law enforcement agencies, protection orders often remain on paper.
No compromises should be made on Law No. 6284
The statement concluded with the words below, followed by speeches from the families of the murdered women:
"The data for the first six months of 2026 once again shows that femicides and suspicious deaths of women are not isolated incidents; they are preventable, political, and social problems. Women are being killed in their homes, on the streets, and at their workplaces by their husbands, partners, ex-partners, or acquaintances. Stopping femicides is possible. For this to happen, women's applications must be handled seriously, the Istanbul Convention must be implemented, protection orders must be enforced effectively, no compromises should be made on Law No. 6284, individual gun ownership must be brought under control, and every suspicious death of a woman must be seriously investigated. The fact that 12 past deaths recorded as suspicious were revealed to be femicides clearly demonstrates how vital effective investigations are."
Families asked: Who is protecting the perpetrators?
The sister of Mekiye Akyel, whose body has not been found for two years in Siirt, was among the family members attending the meeting. The sister stated that she had been threatened through her children and husband, recounting that the defense attorneys told her, "Ms. Halime, don't bother, I will get them out in six months." She questioned by whom and how the perpetrators were being protected. She affirmed that she would continue her struggle until her sister's perpetrators were brought to justice.
Taking the floor afterward, the mother of Aysun Yıldırım, who was alleged to have committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of the building where she worked in Sefaköy, recalled that after a four-year investigation by the prosecutor of the time, the case was closed with a decision not to prosecute. Stating that she has been fighting for nine years, the mother said, "My daughter was slandered with claims of 'suicide.' DNA was found under three fingernails of Aysun's right hand. The suspect was arrested in 2019 but released in May 2020 by taking advantage of COVID measures."
"The Ministry of Justice does not deliver justice"
Tevgera Jinên Azad (Free Women's Movement) activist and former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Sebahat Tuncel spoke to AGOS regarding the report covering the femicides committed in the first six months of 2026:
"The truth is that in a patriarchal capitalist society, women continue to be slaughtered. Those who murder women are those closest to them. Homes, which should be the safest spaces for women, are no longer safe havens. Justice is not delivered, and the most fundamental demand of the victims here is the provision of justice. They made such a call to the Ministry of Justice, but unfortunately in Turkey, the Ministry of Justice itself is not a mechanism that delivers justice. Insisting, asking the right questions, and continuing the struggle is crucial. We have been fighting for women's equality and justice for years. We hope that real justice will be served so that at least the families can mourn their losses."
