Rape and murder of young woman sparks mass Twitter protest in Turkey

Rape and murder of young woman sparks mass Twitter protest in Turkey



The murder of a woman who tried to stop a man raping her has sparked mass protests in Turkey and prompted women to share their stories of sexual harassment, violence and fear in a growing Twitter campaign.


Istanbul protest on February 14, 2015, against the murder of 20-year-old Ozgecan Aslan. Photograph: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

Twenty-year-old student Ozgecan Aslan was traveling on a minibus in the south-east seaside province of Mersin on Wednesday when a man tried to rape her, according to local media.
Reports said Aslan pepper-sprayed the man before he stabbed her and beat her to death with an iron bar. He then enlisted the help of his father and a friend to dispose of her body in a river in Tarsus, where it was found on Friday showing evidence of burns as well as the fatal injuries.

A 26-year-old man, Ahmet Suphi Altındöke, was arrested on Monday and confessed to the crime, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. Altındöke’s 50-year-old father and 20-year-old friend were also arrested.

Turkish women have taken to social media, in response to the murder and the alarming rates of sexual harassment and violence in the country.

Using the hashtag #sendeanlat (tell your story), women have told of their experiences of violence, intimidation and harassment, as well as tactics they have resorted to, such as wearing a wedding ring or getting off a bus early to avoid being the last passenger.

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/17/turkish-woman-ozgecan-aslans-sparks-anti-violence-campaign-sendeanlat