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Two shocking cases of femicide in Türkiye have reignited public outrage after two teenage girls, 16-year-old Hira Aygar in Mersin and 15-year-old Hilal Ozdemir in Istanbul, were shot dead by their partners in separate incidents, exposing once again the deadly impact of armed violence and the vulnerability of young women.
In the southern city of Mersin, 16-year-old Hira Aygar was found fatally wounded with a gunshot to her head in a parked car. Her boyfriend, identified as H.A.S., initially claimed Aygar had shot herself. He later changed his statement, saying he accidentally pulled the trigger while joking with the gun, which he believed to be unloaded.
Police arrested H.A.S. along with two of his friends, N.C. and M.Z., after inconsistencies were found in their testimonies. According to investigators, instead of taking the girl directly to hospital, the suspects first left her in another district, where traces of blood were later discovered. Aygar was eventually taken to Mersin City Hospital but could not be saved. She was laid to rest amid grief and anger, while locals gathered outside the suspect’s home to protest.
In another case, 15-year-old Hilal Ozdemir was murdered on the campus of Bogazici University in Istanbul. She had been working at a wedding event when she was shot dead by her 20-year-old former boyfriend, Ayberk Kurtulus, who then turned the gun on himself.
Her sister, Sedef Ozdemir, told reporters that Hilal had believed the young man was 17 when they first met, but he had persistently followed her and pressured her despite her repeated attempts to end the relationship. She recalled that he had previously assaulted her sister and manipulated her into believing he was harmless. According to Sedef, “Whenever Hilal wanted to break up, he would suddenly appear at her door. He was always watching her.”
The sister added that on the night of the murder, Kurtulus lured Hilal by pretending he only wanted to talk, then shot her from behind as she tried to escape. Witnesses reported that he carried out the attack in front of others, highlighting the premeditated nature of the crime. Authorities later confirmed that Kurtulus had a criminal record.
Both killings have fueled renewed anger across Türkiye about femicide and the vulnerability of teenage girls to armed violence. Families and communities have been left devastated, while protests broke out in Mersin as citizens demanded justice for Hira Aygar. The investigations into both cases are ongoing.
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