Killings of Ayşenur Halil and İkbal Uzuner

Ayşenur Halil and İkbal Uzuner (both aged 19) were murdered by Semih Çelik (19) within a half hour of each other on 4 October 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. The public murder–suicide during which Çelik threw İkbal Uzuner's severed head off the Walls of Constantinople before committing suicide by jumping sparked protests about femicide in Turkey.

Background

Semih Çelik, a 19-year-old who worked as a butcher, had been treated in a mental hospital five times in 2024 due to psychiatric illnesses. He had been reported missing twice, and had attempted suicide once. He had no prior criminal record. A detailed search of his home uncovered a sketch drawing resembling the dismembered body of İkbal Uzuner. According to a statement by his father, Adem Çelik, his son was Uzuner's classmate and had been receiving treatment in a mental hospital due to his psychiatric problems.

Incident

Semih Çelik was alone at home in Eyüpsultan as his sister was out of town for university. He first invited Ayşenur Halil (allegedly his girlfriend) to his house. There, he killed her by cutting off her tongue and decapitating her. He then informed the police that a murder had occurred at his house and fled. Half an hour later, he met İkbal Uzuner in Fatih, took her to the walls of Constantinople and killed her there. He then dismembered her body, threw her head off the city walls and left her torso and body on top of the walls. Afterwards, Çelik committed suicide by wrapping a rope around his neck and jumping from the walls.

İkbal Uzuner was buried on 5 October 2024. with Istanbul Governor Davut Gül and Fatih Mayor Mehmet Ergün Turan in attendance the funeral. On the same day, Ayşenur Halil was buried after the funeral prayer at Pazariçi Sadet Mosque.

Semih Çelik's funeral was cancelled for security reasons and was buried at Kilyos Cemetery with only three people participating. Police investigations at Çelik's home discovered objects and cross symbols associated with Christianity and satanism.

Inquest

After the murder, an investigation was launched and statements were taken from the families of Semih, İkbal and Ayşenur. Semih Çelik's mother Hafize Çelik stated in her statement that her son was sick, that she took him to the doctors and that she also warned İkbal Uzuner's family about the situation. She told Uzuner's family that they had to disappear in order to prevent her son from harming Uzuner. She said that her son and İkbal were going to commit suicide together but İkbal later changed her mind and that İkbal was constantly calling his son. She added in her statement that Semih had stabbed himself in the heart. She claimed that İkbal's family did not take the necessary precautions.

Semih Çelik's father stated in his statement that his son wanted to kill himself as well. He said that his son's teacher called him during his high school years and told him that his son should stay away from a friend at school. He added that he spent a lot of time on the computer he bought for his son, and that when his family entered his room, he panicked and quickly turned off the computer. His father added that he could not determine what he was doing on the computer because it was encrypted, that his son did not want to study, and that he graduated from high school externally. Uzuner's mother called Çelik's mother and said that her son encouraged her daughter to commit suicide, that there were strange drawings resembling the devil in his room, and that when she asked, her son gave an answer along the lines of "You wouldn't understand, our mindsets are different," that he was a butcher and used drugs.

The walls of Constantinople, the location of the murder

It was determined that Semih Çelik had started a relationship with Ayşenur Halil, who was determined to be his friend from high school that he had dropped out of, and that Halil had come to Çelik's house and that they had spent time together. Çelik, who called his father on the day of the incident, said that Ayşenur was at home and that he should not come home. A few hours later, he said that the police were at home and that he (to his father) should go home. When his father, Adem Çelik, went home, he learned that Ayşenur had died.

Adem Çelik's statement stated that Çelik asked his father questions about death at home, had imaginary delusions, and kept knifes in his room. He added that he was religious before he was 16 and that he started to question existentially with the COVID-19 pandemic. His guidance counselor told him that Semih had a talent for programming, so his father Adem Çelik bought him a computer.

It was determined upon examination of Çelik's phone that he had contact with people who identified themselves as incels. Following the murder, provocative and supportive posts were made by incel groups. Upon this, the chief public prosecutor's offices took action and detained the suspects. Then, on October 9, 2024, access to Discord was blocked from Turkey.

Reactions

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, TİP Chairman Erkan Baş, and Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Gülizar Biçer Karaca posted their reactions to the murder on Twitter.

The killings stirred public outrage over violence against women and femicide in the country, with groups organising protests, calling for the reinstatement of the Istanbul Convention and the effective implementation of Law 6284.