The headless body of a woman, which was also dismembered at the legs, was discovered on Saturday night inside a garbage bin in Istanbul. The news, which was reported on Sunday by Turkish media outlets, sparked outrage among feminist organizations. The victim was wrapped in a sheet and thrown into a garbage bin in the Sisli district. The body was discovered on Saturday by a man searching for recyclable materials, according to the DHA news agency.
Istanbul: The victim’s profile, investigation details and arrests
Investigators announced that the victim is a 37-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan. So far, they have not found the head or feet of the victim, but examining surveillance camera footage, investigators saw two men leaving a suitcase in another bin. The contents of this suitcase have not yet been disclosed. Several hours later, police arrested two suspects at Istanbul airport, also of Uzbek nationality, as they were trying to leave the country, DHA clarified. A third suspect was subsequently arrested.
CANSIZ BEDENİN BULUNDUĞU ANA İLİŞKİN İLK GÖRÜNTÜLER
Kan donduran cinayetin ardından cenazeyi çöpte bulan hurdacının ihbarı üzerine olay yerinde ilk incelemeyi yapan polisler çevredeki evlerden görüntülendi. pic.twitter.com/I7GCLsj9e4
— Muratcan Altuntoprak (@altuntoprak_m) January 25, 2026
Women’s rights organizations expressed their outrage and called for protest marches, demanding measures be taken against femicides. “The headless female body found in Sisli has been identified as 36-year-old Durdona Khokimova, a citizen of Uzbekistan. What kind of country are we living in?“, a woman wrote on X.
İstanbul Şişli’de başı olmayan kadın cesedi 36 yaşındaki Özbekistan uyruklu Durdona Khokimova’ya ait olduğu belirlendi.
Nasıl bir Ülkede yaşıyoruz böyle. pic.twitter.com/64pmzeLbQ0
— Filiz🍀 (@bedrana46) January 25, 2026
Femicides plague Turkey
The mayor of Sisli, Resul Emrah Sahan, who had been arrested and imprisoned alongside Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, stated that these murders constitute a “major social problem”. “Femicides are turning into a massacre that continues to expand, fueled by impunity, negligence and silence“, he wrote on X, demanding coordinated action to address the problem.
Dün gece Şişli’de 36 yaşında bir kadının, Özbekistan uyruklu Durdona Khokimova’nın vahşice katledildiği haberi bugün bana Silivri’de ulaştı.
Kadın cinayetleri cezasızlıkla, ihmalle ve suskunlukla, giderek büyüyen bir kıyıma dönüşüyor.
Mahalleden başlayarak kolluğun, sosyal…
— Resul Emrah Şahan (@REmrahSahann) January 25, 2026
Turkey does not officially publish data on femicides, leaving this task to women’s organizations, which collect data on murders and other suspicious deaths of women from press articles. According to numbers compiled by the organization “We Will Stop Femicides”, during 2025, 294 women were killed by men and 297 women were found dead under suspicious circumstances.
