A double murder-suicide in Istanbul’s Fatih district ended Friday afternoon (October 4) after the 19-year-old suspect jumped from Istanbul’s historic city walls near the famous Edirnekapı gate.
19-year-old suspect Selim Çelik is alleged to have murdered two women before committing suicide Friday afternoon. The severed head belonging to one of the women, 19-year-old İkbal Uzuner, was thrown from the top of Edirnekapı by Çelik shortly before he jumped. The second woman, 19-year-old Ayşenur Halil, was allegedly murdered by Çelik in Istanbul’s Eyüpsultan district approximately 30 minutes before the events in Fatih took place.
A large area surrounding Edirnekapı was sectioned off by police following the incident. Çelik was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to a statement from Çelik’s father, the 19-year-old had suffered from psychological problems and drug addiction, and had previously sought treatment from psychologists related to an earlier suicide attempt.
An investigation by Istanbul police related to the incident is ongoing. A broadcast ban on content connected to the incident was also announced by the Istanbul attorney general.
Reports have indicated that Çelik was active on ‘Involuntary celibate’ websites. Known as incel for short, the misogynist online subculture is made up predominantly by males unable to find romantic partners.
Demonstrations against femicide in Ankara, Istanbul
Over the weekend, demonstrators gathered in Turkey’s two largest cities to protest the murders of Halil and Uzuner.
The demonstrations, led by organizations such as Stop Femicide, Womens Congress, and Federation of Young Feminists took place under the banner ‘Stand against killers, abusers, and impunity’.
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The Istanbul demonstration took place in front of Edirnekapı just hours after the incident.
The demonstrations called on Turkey to rejoin the Istanbul Convention. The treaty, aimed at preventing violence against women, was signed by numerous European countries in 2011 and entered effect in 2014. While Turkey was an original signatory to the treaty, it later withdrew in 2021 amidst outcry from domestic opposition figures, European leaders, and women’s rights activists in Turkey.
As femicides in Turkey have increased in recent years, many organizations have called for the rejoining of the Istanbul Convention as well as harsher punishments for perpetrators.
On Saturday (October 5), funerals for both Halil and Uzuner were held in Istanbul.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
