The murders of women in Turkey sparked widespread protests and prompted a response from Erdogan.

Violence against women is a prevalent crime in Turkey, writes Politico. This year, around 300 women have been killed. Protesters criticize the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party for failing to prioritize women's safety in government policies.

However, three recent murders have stirred public sentiment in Turkey. Protest marches have taken place in various cities, demanding that the government put an end to the impunity of perpetrators and halt the wave of violence.

Last week, the country was shaken, as reported by Politico, by the murder of a woman named Ikbal Uzuner by a 19-year-old butcher. He decapitated the victim and then took his own life. The killer threw Uzuner's head from the historic city walls of Istanbul in front of her mother. On the same day, he killed another young woman, Aysenur Khalil, by slitting her throat.

Just days earlier, in September, a 26-year-old police officer was murdered. The suspect in the killing was a repeat offender with multiple prior convictions.

On Wednesday, October 9, Erdogan stated at a meeting with the parliamentary group of his ruling Justice and Development Party: "A series of recent events, the martyrdom of a female police officer, and two brutal murders of young women have provoked a justified reaction in our country. We are concerned that criminals with dozens of criminal cases in their files roam free." Erdogan promised to tighten the penal system and end the early release of convicts.

Protest participants greeted Erdogan's promise with skepticism. They point out that in 2021, the president decided to withdraw Turkey from the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. At that time, the president explained that some provisions of the Convention harm traditional family values. In Politico's publication, it is noted that the Convention also aims to protect the LGBTQ+ community.

The "We Will Stop Femicide" movement reported that in September alone, 34 women were killed by men in Turkey, and another twenty died under suspicious circumstances in the same month.