By Selin Girit
BBC News, Istanbul
A woman with a bullet hole painted on her forehead takes part in a demonstration against the murder of 20-year-old Ozgecan Aslan, who was killed after she resisted an alleged attempt to rape her in the southern city of Mersin, in Ankara on Saturday. Women on the protest argue that violence against women has become more acceptable in Turkey in recent years
Thousands of women in Turkey have protested at the murder of a young woman who allegedly resisted an attempt by a bus driver to rape her.
Police discovered the burnt body of Ozgecan Aslan, 20, in a riverbed in the city of Mersin, on Friday.
They have arrested three men in connection with her death - a minibus driver, his father and a friend.
The Turkish president and prime minister called Ms Aslan's family to offer their condolences.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised the family to hunt those responsible for the crime and punish them.
Ms Aslan, a psychology student, was kidnapped on Wednesday on her way home.
The driver allegedly tried to rape her. She reportedly fought him off with pepper spray, but was then stabbed to death. She was also hit on the head with an iron pipe.
The brutality of the murder caused an outcry across Turkey.
Thousands of women staged protests in several cities on Saturday, including Ankara, Istanbul, and Mersin - Ms Aslan's hometown in southern Turkey.
In Istanbul, women activists held two separate protests to show their anger at the murder.
In the evening, the crowd got bigger. Thousands of women of all ages and walks of life poured out to the streets.
A young woman, Bulay Dogan, said Ms Aslan's murder scared her.
"I'm afraid, because the same thing could happen to me or my friends. But on the other hand, I'm furious too. How can they [the murder suspects] be so reckless to do something like this?" she asked.
Also on the protests was a gender studies academic who would only give her first name, Zeynep. She thought Ms Aslan's murder was of a political nature too.
"It is the result of the radical Islamic atmosphere created by the government. The men say that women should be conservative. They think if they are not conservative, they deserve this kind of violence," she said.
Zeynep is absolutely right! Under Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has become more and more Islamicized. That's an odd statement for a Muslim country, but for most of the 20th century Turks maintained a largely secular government; Erdogan has increasingly made the Turkish government more Islamic, and with that many Turks are becoming more Islamic, especially the men who benefit from the misogynistic environment.
Women in Turkey have enjoyed much freedom from the oppressive aspect of Islam for a few generations now, and they are not likely to give up those freedoms without a fight. Ultimately, I believe the repression of women is one of Erdogan's goals in the Islamification of his own country.
Last November, Erdogan stated (at a women's conference in Istanbul), "You cannot put women and men on an equal footing, it is against nature." He also said feminists did not grasp the importance of motherhood in Islam. Mr Erdogan has previously urged women to have three children, and has lashed out against abortion and birth by Caesarean section.
His comments often seek to appeal to his pious core supporters, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul, but they anger more liberal voters. Turks who have more secular views argue that the government's social policies are taking the country in a dangerous direction.
'Soaring violence'
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has its roots in political Islam and has been in power since 2002.
Women's rights organisations say violence against women has risen sharply in the last decade.
Last year alone, almost 300 women were killed at the hands of men and more than 100 were raped, according to local reports.
Sevda Bayramoglu from Women for Peace Initiative demanded new legislation to protect women from violence.
"Men kill and rape and torture women. The state, the 'men's state', is protecting them. We expect the parliament to stop this violence," she said.
Ms Aslan's murder may become a rallying cause for activists seeking to end violence against women in Turkey.
Selin Girit
BBC News, Istanbul
BBC News, Istanbul
Thousands of women in Turkey have protested at the murder of a young woman who allegedly resisted an attempt by a bus driver to rape her.
Police discovered the burnt body of Ozgecan Aslan, 20, in a riverbed in the city of Mersin, on Friday.
They have arrested three men in connection with her death - a minibus driver, his father and a friend.
The Turkish president and prime minister called Ms Aslan's family to offer their condolences.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised the family to hunt those responsible for the crime and punish them.
Ms Aslan, a psychology student, was kidnapped on Wednesday on her way home.
The driver allegedly tried to rape her. She reportedly fought him off with pepper spray, but was then stabbed to death. She was also hit on the head with an iron pipe.
The brutality of the murder caused an outcry across Turkey.
Thousands of women staged protests in several cities on Saturday, including Ankara, Istanbul, and Mersin - Ms Aslan's hometown in southern Turkey.
In Istanbul, women activists held two separate protests to show their anger at the murder.
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| Women hold pictures of murder victim Ozgecan Aslan during protests in Istanbul on Saturday |
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| Women hold banners reading "Ozgecan Aslan is our rebellion" during protests against her murder in Istanbul on Saturday night |
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| During the day, hundreds gathered behind a banner that read "Enough, we will stop the murder of women!" |
A young woman, Bulay Dogan, said Ms Aslan's murder scared her.
"I'm afraid, because the same thing could happen to me or my friends. But on the other hand, I'm furious too. How can they [the murder suspects] be so reckless to do something like this?" she asked.
Also on the protests was a gender studies academic who would only give her first name, Zeynep. She thought Ms Aslan's murder was of a political nature too.
"It is the result of the radical Islamic atmosphere created by the government. The men say that women should be conservative. They think if they are not conservative, they deserve this kind of violence," she said.
Zeynep is absolutely right! Under Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has become more and more Islamicized. That's an odd statement for a Muslim country, but for most of the 20th century Turks maintained a largely secular government; Erdogan has increasingly made the Turkish government more Islamic, and with that many Turks are becoming more Islamic, especially the men who benefit from the misogynistic environment.
Women in Turkey have enjoyed much freedom from the oppressive aspect of Islam for a few generations now, and they are not likely to give up those freedoms without a fight. Ultimately, I believe the repression of women is one of Erdogan's goals in the Islamification of his own country.
Last November, Erdogan stated (at a women's conference in Istanbul), "You cannot put women and men on an equal footing, it is against nature." He also said feminists did not grasp the importance of motherhood in Islam. Mr Erdogan has previously urged women to have three children, and has lashed out against abortion and birth by Caesarean section.
His comments often seek to appeal to his pious core supporters, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul, but they anger more liberal voters. Turks who have more secular views argue that the government's social policies are taking the country in a dangerous direction.
'Soaring violence'
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has its roots in political Islam and has been in power since 2002.
Women's rights organisations say violence against women has risen sharply in the last decade.
Last year alone, almost 300 women were killed at the hands of men and more than 100 were raped, according to local reports.
Sevda Bayramoglu from Women for Peace Initiative demanded new legislation to protect women from violence.
"Men kill and rape and torture women. The state, the 'men's state', is protecting them. We expect the parliament to stop this violence," she said.
Ms Aslan's murder may become a rallying cause for activists seeking to end violence against women in Turkey.
BBC News, Istanbul
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