Kristie's Craziness

I am not very good at keeping up with social media trends, which is why I always feel like I’m behind. I have a private Facebook account for family and a public instagram that I think I’ve used more in the past week than I have all year. I don’t use Tik Tok or X at all. That’s how I missed the 2020 women supporting women #challengeaccepted campaign. In its prime, women were encouraged to post black and white photos of themselves to bring awareness to femicide in Turkey.

Pinar Gultekin was a 26 year old economics student living in Ula, Mugla, Turkey. Early in the day on July 16th, 2020, she spoke to her sister on the phone and told her that she was going shopping. That is the last contact Pinar would have with any of her family and friends.

Both her sister and her mother tried to contact her later that evening but she couldn’t be reached. Worried, they filed a missing person’s report with the Mugla Police Department.

For 5 days Pinar’s family waited in fear. On July 21, 2020 their nightmares were confirmed when a body was discovered in the woods.

Almost immediately, Pinar’s former boyfriend Cemal Mentin Avci was arrested. He admitted to killing her in a fit of rage when she refused to rekindle their relationship after breaking up with him when she found out he was married and had 2 children.

In his version of events, he lost his temper and beat her until she was unconscious before strangling her to death and burning her body in the woods. Autopsy results showed that Pinar was still alive when she was set of fire. In a final effort to hide her body, Avci filled the burn barrel with concrete.

In order to bring awareness to the high rate of violence against women in Turkey, women’s organizations started using the #challengeaccepted to signify women supporting women on Instagram. A search brings up millions of black and white photos of support and love.

Justice was harder to come by. Initially Avci was sentenced to life in prison. Upon appeal in 2022, it was converted to 23 years in prison due to “unjust provocation.” Holy victim blaming!!! How can any system deem not wanting to date someone provocation for murder? That sentence was reversed on appeal in 2023, when Avci was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for “aggravated murder by torment of design with monstrous feeling.”

While justice has finally been served for Pinar Gultekin’s murder, little has changed in Turkey. Women still do not have equal rights. In 2023, 338 women were murdered due to femicide and another 248 from suspicious circumstances.

Check out We Will Stop Femicide and see how you can help.

Kristie