Seven arrested as 22-year-old woman’s brutal killing sparks public outcry

ISTANBUL

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a 22-year-old woman, including a former police officer as the prime suspect, in a case that once again highlights the country's ongoing struggle with femicide and the failure to protect women from escalating violence.

The body of nursing student Ayşe Tokyaz was found on July 13 inside a suitcase abandoned by the roadside in Istanbul.

Among those arrested was the former police officer, 38-year-old Cemil Koç, who now faces charges of premeditated murder. Six others were also detained for allegedly assisting him.

Security footage shows Koç and another person placing the suitcase in the back seat of a car.

Koç reportedly has a criminal record and was dismissed from the police force last year.

He had previously been questioned over the suspicious 2022 death of a former girlfriend, who allegedly fell from a sixth-floor apartment. That case has now been reopened.

Koç is accused of luring Tokyaz to his home after she rejected his marriage proposal, allegedly due to a large age difference.

Ayşe Tokyaz’s twin sister, Esra Tokyaz, said she tried multiple times to alert the authorities before the killing, but was not taken seriously.

“I was kept waiting for hours, treated like I was lying, and then found out that my statement was shared with him,” she told local media.

Esra Tokyaz alleged that Koç’s background as a former police officer gave him undue access and protection.

Women’s rights advocates say this is far from an isolated case, pointing to a pattern of ignored warnings, institutional failure and leniency toward perpetrators.

Sema Yurtbilir, a lawyer with a women’s rights platform, EŞİK, told daily Hürriyet that in many cases, women are turned away when they seek help.

“They’re told nothing will come of it, or that the abuser will just file a complaint back,” she said. “Sometimes officers call the abuser right away and tell them their partner came in. Then they try to ‘reconcile’ them.”

Legal experts emphasize that Türkiye already has laws in place to protect women. But the problem, they say, lies in enforcement.

According to the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, at least 235 women have been killed by men so far this year.