On Monday, women from the initiative "We want to live" gathered in front of the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul to protest. They carried banners with inscriptions like "Protect women from pandemic and male violence".

Sinem Tuğcu from the initiative warned of the rise in misogyny, which increased during the times of pandemic, and blamed the AKP for this: "The state does not prevent violence against women and thus encourages men. Even worse, it creates laws that facilitate the exercise of violence against women.”

Violence has increased

Tuğcu criticized in her speech the new enforcement law of the AKP as an expression of the patriarchal attitude of the state. The enforcement law enabled the release of more than 90,000 prisoners, among them violent criminals and mafia bosses, while political prisoners are excluded from the measure. The statements by the religious authority DIYANET and the government to bring out a law under which the rape of minors remains unpunished if the victim marries the perpetrator were also discussed.

Tuğcu also reminded of the disappearance of Gülistan Doku since January 5th and the suspension of the investigation in the case of Nadira Kadirova, who died under dubious circumstances in the house of the AKP member of parliament Şirin Ünal.