Protests erupt in Turkey after Uzbek migrant woman is killed in Istanbul

The body of 37-year-old Uzbek national Durdona Khakimova was found in a garbage container in Istanbul’s Şişli district, sparking widespread outrage. According to Turkish daily Sabah, the incident came to light on the evening of January 24, when a man collecting recyclable materials discovered a suspiciously wrapped body inside a trash bin on Koyuluboğ Street in the Duatepe neighborhood.

Police officers and forensic teams who arrived at the scene found the woman’s headless body in the container. During a subsequent search of nearby streets, investigators discovered a suitcase containing other body parts. Turkish media reported that the victim was identified through fingerprint analysis as Durdona Khakimova, an Uzbek citizen employed at a hunting and sports equipment store in Turkey. The information was later officially confirmed by Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in Istanbul.

The consulate said it remains in contact with Khakimova’s family and is providing necessary consular and legal assistance. It also confirmed that two Uzbek nationals suspected in connection with the crime were detained while attempting to leave Turkey for Georgia.

According to details published by Hürriyet, investigators believe the murder took place in a rented apartment in Istanbul’s Ümraniye district. The main suspect, identified as D.T., reportedly admitted to having had a close relationship with the victim. The two are said to have met about a year ago. D.T. allegedly traveled to Turkey three months earlier and rented the apartment roughly 10 days before the killing.

Police say an argument broke out between the two, during which the suspect stabbed Khakimova four times in the back. Investigators allege that D.T. later sought help from an acquaintance, a 28-year-old identified as G.K., to dispose of the body. The two allegedly dismembered the body, placed the remains in bags and a suitcase, and took a taxi to the Şişli district, where they discarded the body parts in separate trash containers.

A third individual, the taxi driver who transported the suspects, is also being questioned as part of the investigation. Authorities are seeking to determine whether the driver was aware of the contents being transported.

The killing has prompted protests in both Istanbul and Ankara. According to Türkiye Today, demonstrators gathered in the Şişli district and in the Turkish capital to demand justice. In Istanbul, protesters marched on foot from the Osmanbey metro station to the street where the body was found, carrying placards reading “Migrant women are not alone” and “Women’s lives matter.”

On January 26, the Istanbul Bar Association’s Center for Women’s Rights issued an official statement, describing the killing as the result of systemic failures in protecting migrant women. Civil society organizations have pledged to closely monitor the court proceedings and push for the maximum possible sentences for all those found responsible.

The investigation is ongoing. All suspects are currently in custody, while police continue to review surveillance footage, witness statements, and the movements of those involved.