The bodies of Fatma Nur Çelik and her eight-year-old daughter, Hifa İkra Şengüler, have been recovered in Istanbul, bringing a tragic end to a high-profile pursuit of justice that has sparked allegations of state negligence and intimidation.
Weeks of public protests outside Istanbul’s Anadolu Courthouse ended in tragedy as the bodies of Ms Çelik and her daughter were recovered from the Zeytinburnu coast of Istanbul.
Confirming the deaths on social media, the family’s legal representatives, the Children and Women First Association, said the mother and daughter had finally succumbed to a ‘siege of reactionaries’ and the weight of their own suffering.”
A legacy of abuse
The roots of the tragedy trace back to a harrowing series of allegations made by Ms Çelik. According to her testimony, she was abused as a child by a senior official of the Foundation for Service to the Quran, a man she was later forced to marry.
She further alleged that her daughter, Hifa İkra, had been subjected to systematic abuse by the same individual starting at the age of three. Despite an ongoing legal battle, Ms Çelik had recently taken to the streets, launching a “justice vigil” in Kartal to demand more stringent protections and the prosecution of those involved.
‘If I die, it is not suicide’
The circumstances of the deaths have been met with immediate suspicion from legal activists. The Voice of Lawyers Initiative has called for a rigorous investigation, citing direct warnings given by Ms Çelik before her death.
“During her vigil, she told our members: ‘I am receiving death threats. If I die, it is not suicide,'” the group said in a statement. They further alleged that officials from the Ministry of Family and Social Services had threatened to remove Hifa İkra from her mother’s custody if the protest continued. “This is not an ordinary death,” the group added. “There are serious allegations of responsibility involving public officials.”
The Ministry’s response
The Ministry of Family and Social Services issued a written statement following the news, defending its actions and dismissing claims of intimidation as “irresponsible and untrue.”
The Ministry stated that Hifa İkra had been under a “health and consultancy measure” following the abuse allegations. They claimed that Ms Çelik had been “uncooperative” regarding the child’s psychiatric treatment and had refused to follow expert recommendations for hospitalisation in February 2026.
According to the Ministry, an “emergency protection order” was issued on 2 March 2026 due to the perceived risk to the child’s health. Officials reportedly went to the family’s address that day but found no one home, shortly before receiving news that the mother and daughter had died.
The Ministry has urged the media and NGOs to act with “sensitivity,” accusing some organisations of distorting their efforts to protect the child into a narrative of “separating a mother and daughter.”
The investigation continues
As judicial authorities begin an investigation into the cause of death, the case has reignited a fierce debate in Turkey over the protection of abuse survivors and the influence of religious foundations within the legal system.
For the activists who stood by Ms Çelik outside the courthouse, the tragedy represents a systemic failure. As the Children and Women First Association put it: “We promise to hold those responsible for every life we have lost to account until the very end.”
Translated and edited by Medyascope English Newsroom
