HEADLINES

Women are being killed by men they have just met. In recent days in Istanbul, two women were found murdered and decapitated. In both cases, the suspects claimed they had “met, fallen in love, argued, and then killed” the victims.These statements are repeatedly reproduced by the media and legal authorities, allowing perpetrators to shape the public narrative. By centering the words of “cinayet zanlıları”, the justice system and the press indirectly criminalize the victims’ character and legitimize misogynistic assumptions—suggesting that a woman’s behavior can justify violence against her.This reflects a deeper structural failure in legal procedures and a political gap created after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. The absence of effective protective mechanisms continues to cost women their lives.