The discovery of a woman’s dismembered body in a garbage bin in Turkey has sparked nationwide outrage. The body, identified as a 37-year-old Uzbek national, was found wrapped in a sheet by a paper collector in Istanbul’s Sisli district. Investigators located the woman’s head and legs through CCTV footage showing two men disposing of a suitcase in another bin.
Following the gruesome finding, police swiftly apprehended two suspects, also Uzbek nationals, at Istanbul Airport as they tried to flee the country. A third suspect was later taken into custody. The incident prompted protests and public indignation, with over a thousand people participating in rallies in Istanbul and Ankara, advocating for an end to femicides and seeking justice for the victim.
At Osmanbey metro station in Sisli, large crowds gathered, carrying banners with messages such as “Stop male violence!” and “Migrant women are not alone.” Isil Kurt from Turkey’s We Will Stop Femicides Platform condemned the perpetrators for their audacity and highlighted the persistent issue of violence against women.
While official figures on femicides in Turkey are limited, Stop Femicides reported that in 2025, 294 women were murdered by men, with an additional 297 women found dead under suspicious circumstances. Shockingly, it was revealed that in 2024, approximately 50,000 women and girls were killed by family members or partners, translating to one death every 10 minutes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women.
For those experiencing domestic violence or supporting someone who is, assistance is available through The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, at 0808 2000 247.