Report: Armed violence in Turkey increased in 2020 despite lockdowns

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Some 3,683 incidents of non-conflict armed violence occurred in Turkey in 2020, up by 59 from the previous year, according to a report by the Umut Foundation, a group monitoring individual armament and violence.

These incidents left 2,040 people dead and 3,688 wounded, says the report based on local and national news outlets.

Firearms were used in 3,128 of these incidents, with 1,303 rifles and 825 guns, and sharp objects were used in 554 incidents, the report says.

İstanbul, the largest city in the country, had the highest number of incidents with 444.

Compared to the foundation's 2015 report, the incidence of armed violence increased by 69 percent with the highest increase reported in the Central Anatolia region.

An increase of 75 percent was reported in the Marmara Region and 71 percent was recorded in the Aegean Region.

"These figures reveal that the violence did not stop despite the pandemic and curfews, armed violence increased and the extent of individual armament in our country," the foundation said in a statement and called on the authorities to prevent individual armament and impunity. (AÖ/VK)