Turkey has been shaken by the gruesome murder of Ay?e Tokyaz, a 22-year-old nursing student whose dismembered body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Istanbul. The incident has sparked strong reactions and widespread public anger over ongoing violence against women, Turkish media report.
Tokyaz, who was studying at a university in Istanbul, was reported missing last week after her twin sister, Israa, lost contact with her. Her body was later found in the Küçükçekmece neighborhood, leading to the arrest of seven people, including her ex-boyfriend, Cemil Koç, a former police officer.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Ay?e was the victim of continuous physical violence before she was killed. On July 9, she was taken to an apartment in Istanbul, where she was allegedly brutally beaten to death, according to local media reports.
The incident took on even more serious proportions when authorities discovered that the suspect had attempted to pay 500,000 Turkish liras (about $15,000) to a taxi driver to help him hide and disappear the body. Security camera footage confirmed the final moments of her life, showing Ay?en entering the building where the crime occurred.
Her remains were then taken to the family's hometown of Reyhanl?, where a touching funeral ceremony took place.
Those arrested remain in custody and are expected to face formal charges as investigations continue. The case has reignited calls for stronger protections for women and harsher punishments for gender-based violence in Turkey, a deep-rooted social problem that continues to rock Turkish society.
