WAN – Specialist sergeants, protected by a shield of impunity within the scope of the special warfare policies being pursued, have killed at least 36 women and wounded 5 in the last 16 years.

 

While the destructive effects on women of the special warfare policies pursued for years in Kurdistan become more visible with each passing day, the femicide shaped at the intersection of militarism, impunity and male-state violence has deepened further. Policies of repression, violence, prostitution, drugs and killings directed at women by uniformed personnel, particularly in the cities of Kurdistan, result in impunity. Likewise, the policies of impunity applied in cases where specialist sergeants are the perpetrators pave the way for new massacres.

 

In the last 16 years, at least 36 women have been killed and 5 women seriously wounded by specialist sergeants. The vast majority of these killings took place in cities such as Amed (Diyarbakır), Colemêrg (Hakkari), Şirnex (Şırnak), Bedlîs (Bitlis), Êlih (Batman), Mêrdîn (Mardin), Dîlok (Antep), Sêrt (Siirt), Îdir (Iğdır), Xarpêt (Elazığ) and Çewlîg (Bingöl).

 

Most recently, the massacre that took place on 14 June in the Şemzînan (Şemdinli) district of Colemêrg became the latest link in this chain. Specialist sergeant Musa Gezer raided, with a firearm, the home of the family of Gülşen Gezer, with whom he was in the process of divorce and who had taken refuge there. He killed Gülşen Gezer along with her mother Habibe Demir and her siblings Gürkan Demir and Deniz Demir. Following the attack, the perpetrator, who attempted suicide, also died.

 

Some of the women killed by specialist sergeants over the last 16 years are as follows:

 

*In 2010, Infantry Specialist Sergeant Enes Tamur, serving at the Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade Command, killed his wife Müfide Tamur.

 

*In 2010, Specialist Sergeant Adem Sezer, serving at the İpsala District Gendarmerie Command in Edirne, killed Gözde Çakır, a 16-year-old high school student whom he had abused.

 

*In 2012, in the Erxanî (Ergani) district of Amed, specialist sergeant Mehmet Karadayı raided the home of the family of a woman with whom he was in the process of divorce, killing the woman's mother and wounding her father.

 

*In 2012, in Erzîngan (Erzincan), specialist sergeant Erdal K. killed his wife Hülya K.

 

*In 2013, in Riha (Urfa), Hülya Ege was shot and killed by specialist sergeant İbrahim Ege.

 

*In 2014, in the Kozan district of Adana, gendarmerie specialist sergeant Süleyman Ş. (24) shot and killed his 18-year-old sister Eda Şahin and Yusuf Yaşar (22).

 

*In 2014, 28-year-old Saada Darwish, fleeing the civil war in Syria and attempting to cross into Turkey via the border at the village of Basîsk in the Cizîr (Cizre) district of Şirnex, lost her life as a result of gunfire opened by a specialist sergeant on border duty. A decision of non-prosecution was issued by the military prosecutor's office regarding the perpetrator, specialist sergeant S.B.

 

*In 2016, in Ankara, a specialist sergeant on active duty shot and killed his wife Melike B.

 

*In 2017, specialist sergeant Alper Deveci killed the sibling and mother of a woman with whom he was in the process of divorce, and wounded her 7-year-old child.

 

*In 2017, in Mêrdîn (Mardin), a specialist sergeant on active duty shot and killed his wife Gizem C.

 

*In 2018, in the Silopiya (Silopi) district of Şirnex, specialist sergeant Vehbi Köşker shot and killed Esra Köşker, with whom he was in the process of divorce.

 

*In 2018, in the Xana Axpar (Çınar) district of Amed, specialist sergeant Arif Aka shot and killed his wife Sevilay Aka.

 

*In 2019, gendarmerie specialist sergeant Aydemir K., serving at the Bursa Gendarmerie NCO School, shot and killed Sosin Küçükgüven, with whom he lived.

 

*In 2019, in Ankara, specialist sergeant Soner Yanıkoğlu killed Emine Yanıkoğlu, with whom he was in the process of divorce.

 

*In 2020, 18-year-old İpek Er attempted suicide after being raped by specialist sergeant Musa Orhan, serving in Sêrt, leaving behind a letter. After struggling for her life in hospital for nearly a month, İpek Er lost her life.

 

*In 2020, in Dîlok, specialist sergeant Gökhan Kuzdan killed his wife Müberra Kuzdan.

 

*In 2020, in Erzirom (Erzurum), former specialist sergeant Mükremin Turan killed Hülya Özmen, the sibling of his wife.

 

*In 2020, in the Kınık district of İzmir, former specialist sergeant Mustafa Kocabıyık (55), who worked as a market vendor, killed his wife Nergüzel Kocabıyık (50) and their daughter Melike Kocabıyık (22) with a sharp object.

 

*In 2021, in Yozgat, specialist sergeant Hacı Y. (30) shot and killed his wife Aysel Y. (29).

 

*In 2021, in the Samandağ district of Hatay, specialist sergeant Durak Erdal Oruç shot and killed Derya Aldıç (33), with whom he was allegedly living.

 

*In 2021, in the Kanîreş (Karlıova) district of Çewlîg, specialist sergeant Ferhat K. killed his neighbour Rahime Ö.

 

*In 2021, in Şişli, Istanbul, former specialist sergeant Mert Özata (27) attempted to kill and seriously wounded S.A.

 

*In 2024, gendarmerie specialist sergeant Muhammet Dankal, serving at the Nevşehir Gendarmerie Horse and Dog Training Center Command, killed Yeliz Yolcuoğlu, with whom he lived.

 

*In 2024, in Xarpêt, physiotherapy technician Burcu Demir was killed by specialist sergeant Murat Coşansel.

 

*In 2024, in Amed, specialist sergeant Muhammed Recai Işık (29) shot and killed Bedriye Işık (29), with whom he was in the process of divorce.

 

*In 2024, in Adana, specialist sergeant Gökhan Çelik killed his wife Hatice Çelik.

 

*In 2024, in Bornova, İzmir, specialist sergeant İ.T. killed his wife Havin Aşkan Tektaş.

 

*In 2024, 22-year-old Meryema Hasanoğlu lost her life after falling, under suspicious circumstances, from the 5th floor of the building where she lived with former specialist sergeant Tekin Çelik, to whom she was religiously married, in the Norşîn (Güroymak) district of Bedlîs. The perpetrator, the specialist sergeant, was tried on the charge of "inciting suicide."

 

*In 2025, in Îdir, gendarmerie specialist sergeant Ferdi Bağcı killed his wife Esra Bağcı.

 

*In 2025, in military housing in Sêrt, Gülhan Börülce was killed by her upstairs neighbour, specialist sergeant Ş.K., who was on active duty.

 

*In 2026, in the Şemzînan (Şemdinli) district of Colemêrg, specialist sergeant Musa Gezer raided the home of the family of Gülşen Gezer, with whom he was in the process of divorce and where she had taken refuge, killing Gülşen Gezer, her mother Habibe Demir, and her siblings Gürkan Demir and Deniz Demir.

 

*In 2026, in the Menteşe district of Muğla, H.S., who lives there, made a report and requested help via the KADES application following threats from her ex-husband, specialist sergeant G.Y. In the specialist sergeant's attack, police officer Tayfun Baş, who intervened in the incident, lost his life, while he also attempted to kill and seriously wounded H.S.

 

*In 2026, in the Sincan district of Ankara, retired specialist sergeant Remzi Büyükköprü killed his wife Deniz Büyükköprü and their daughter Irmak Nehir Büyükköprü.

 

*In 2026, specialist sergeant Mehmet C., serving in Colemêrg, shot and wounded 26-year-old Buse S., who worked at a venue in Adana.

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut