Women rally to shed light on suspicious death of university student
ISTANBUL
Women across several Turkish cities marched to demand justice over the suspicious death of 21-year-old university student Rojin Kabaiş, following new forensic findings suggesting that she may have been the victim of a crime rather than suicide.
Kabaiş, a first-year preschool education student at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, went missing on Sept. 27 last year after leaving the girls’ dormitory near Van Lake where she was staying. Her body was found 18 days later on the lake’s shore.
The initial autopsy listed her cause of death as drowning, and the case was treated as a possible suicide.
However, a recent report by the forensic medicine institute revealed that DNA belonging to two different men was detected on Kabaiş’s chest and genital area, reigniting public outrage and prompting calls for a renewed investigation.
Despite the DNA evidence, the report stated there were no signs of sexual assault.
In Istanbul’s Kadıköy, women gathered to protest, calling on authorities to disclose the two DNAs and carrying banners reading “Rojin did not commit suicide.”
Chants of “Justice for Rojin” and “Not male justice, real justice” echoed through the square.
“What is being hidden? What relationships and negligence are being covered up to prevent justice for Rojin? Her case reminds us once again how suspicious deaths of women are rendered invisible,” read the group’s joint statement.
At Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Kabaiş’s classmates launched a sit-in protest on campus, demanding a transparent investigation.
“We are not afraid. We want justice,” the students chanted during their demonstration.
In Antalya, members of the Antalya Women’s Platform rallied, carrying signs reading “Expose the perpetrators, prosecute them” and “Don’t hide the crime, don’t protect the killers.”
Kabaiş’s parents reject claims that their daughter took her own life.
Her mother previously told local media that they had spoken on a video call just before she went missing, during which Kabaiş mentioned she was going out to the market and seemed completely fine.
