Turkish man dies by suicide after brutally murdering two women on same day, causes public outrage

A Turkish man on Oct. 4 died by suicide on the same day he murdered two women in Istanbul.

19-year-old Semih Çelik was first seen after he jumped off the historic Edirnekapı ramparts, dying by suicide.

Then, Istanbul police announced that he killed two women, 19-year-olds İkbal Uzuner and Ayşenur Halil on the same day.

04.10.2024 tarihinde #Fatih içesinde bulunan surlardan atlamak suretiyle meydana gelen intihar olayına ilişkin basın açıklaması; pic.twitter.com/Hh9mR1a5aH — İstanbul Emniyet Müdürlüğü (@istanbul_EGM) October 4, 2024

According to the Turkish media, Çelik decapitated Uzuner, and murdered Halil by cutting her throat. Meanwhile, Çelik died at the hospital.

Çelik’s father stated in his testimony that his child “had undergone psychological treatment 5 times, disappeared 2 times and had attempted suicide before.”

Meanwhile, the police found charcoal drawings at Çelik’s home. In the drawings, a naked woman's body was seen to be dismembered.

An Istanbul court issued a broadcast ban on the incident which caused a public outrage.

Turkey has made moves in recent years to lessen protections for women.

In July 2021, the country formally withdrew from the Istanbul Convention (the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence), a move that advocacy groups say was a major setback for women in the country.

Turkey was the first country to sign the Convention back in 2011.