In a troubling incident in the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ, a local journalist has been critically injured as a result of a gun attack committed by her boyfriend, who died afterwards by suicide, the private DHA news agency reported.
Semra Demirelli, a 25-year-old journalist working for local television station Kanal Fırat, was seriously injured after she was shot in the neck by her boyfriend, Vahap Selim Çetin, 26.
According to DHA, a dispute erupted between the couple on Friday after Çetin visited Demirelli at her home, where her mother was also present. Çetin pulled out a handgun and shot Demirelli in the neck, allegedly due to jealousy. He fled the scene after the shooting.
Emergency responders arrived at the house and Demirelli was rushed to Fırat University Hospital in critical condition.
Çetin subsequently died as a result of shooting himself in the head with the same gun. He was found seriously injured and transferred to Fethi Sekin City Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries despite medical efforts.
An investigation has been launched into the incident. Demirelli remains in a life-threatening condition.
It has also come to light that Çetin’s older brother, Halil Çetin, was involved in a similar tragedy earlier this year. In July, the brother fatally shot his girlfriend, Rukiye Yıldırım, before taking his own life with the same gun.
The recent incident has once again highlighted the urgent need to address violence against women and the importance of safeguarding rights and safety in Turkey, where femicide and violence against women and girls are chronic problems.
According to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, at least 193 women were murdered by men and another 149 women died under suspicious circumstances in the first half of 2024.
Data from the platform also show that 48 women were murdered by men in September, setting a record as the highest monthly toll ever reported.
Many critics say the main reason for the current situation is the policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, which often protect violent and abusive men.
Turkish courts have repeatedly drawn criticism for their tendency to grant lenient sentences to offenders, claiming that the crime was “motivated by passion” or by interpreting victims’ silence as consent.
In a move that attracted national and international outrage, in March 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used a presidential decree to withdraw Turkey from an international treaty that requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence and similar abuse as well as marital rape and female genital mutilation.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is an international accord designed to protect women’s rights and prevent domestic violence in societies. It was opened for signature of Council of Europe member countries in 2011 and entered into force in 2014.
Erdoğan’s allies have been calling for further rollbacks, urging the repeal of a Turkish law that stipulates protection mechanisms for women who either have suffered or are at risk of suffering violence.