Aktürk Commemorated by Her Colleagues: ‘We will Not Lose One More Woman’

* News and photos: ETHA

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Healthcare workers have commemorated medical secretary Ayşegül Aktürk, who was killed by a man named Muharrem E. "We will not lose one more woman," they have said in protest of all feminicides.

Holding a statement for the press in front of the Emergency Service of the Süreyyapaşa Training and Research Hospital in İstanbul, health workers have opened a banner and said, "Implement the İstanbul Convention and the Law no. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women. End violence against women."

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'We are crying out in sorrow'

Following a minute of silence kept in memory of all women who lost their lives as a result of male violence, Süheyla Alkoç from the İstanbul Medical Chamber has said, "We are crying out with the sorrow of having lost our friend, we will keeping crying out."

Fadime Kavak, the Chair of Health and Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) No. 4 Branch, has also underlined that the authorities who turn a blind eye to the killing of women are also accountable for these murders.

'We want to live'

Reading out the statement, Diren Doğan has said, "Women are forced to have a relationship with the men whom they said 'No', they are subjected to violence and killed by the men whom they want to break up or divorce." Doğan has also slammed the news reported in the mainstream media about the death of Aktürk over their male language. Doğan has said:

"We, women, do not want to lose one more of us. We want a world where women can live freely, can make choices freely, they are not harassed or threatened by men, not subjected to violence or killed by them.

"We want a world where women are not forced to be in a relationship if they do not want to and they are not killed if they want to break up or divorce.

"We want the authorities to properly enforce the İstanbul Convention and the Law no. 6284 when women are subjected to violence. We want to live."

After the statement for the press, her colleagues walked to the B Block of the hospital where Aktürk used to work. "Ayşegül lives in our hearts" and "You will never walk along," her colleagues have said in their slogans.

They have laid carnations in her memory afterwards.

What happened?

A man named Muharrem E. (22) stabbed Ayşegül Aktürk, a medical secretary at the hospital, to death in front of her children in Maltepe, İstanbul. The incident took place at around 8 in the morning.

According to allegations, Muharrem E. was harassing Ayşegül Aktürk "because he loved her." Murder suspect Muharrem E. killed Aktürk because he said "No." He reportedly stabbed himself as well. (EMK/SD)