Man kills ex-wife at work after fourth restraining order

A new case of femicide shook Turkey after Eser Karaca, a 42-year-old mother of two, was shot dead by her ex-husband in a private hospital in Kahramanmaraş, despite having repeatedly requested protection from the courts.

The attacker, identified as Atilla Ayintapli, 44, was captured on video surveillance cameras entering the hospital with a blue plastic bag.

Minutes later, he burst into the offices where Karaca worked as a medical secretary and tried to restrain her. The woman managed to escape with a colleague, but Ayintapli chased her while she pulled a shotgun from inside the bag.

In released images, patients and staff can be seen fleeing in terror as Karaca is cornered on the hospital steps.

In her final moments, she raised her hands to protect herself, but her ex-husband shot her three times, killing her instantly.

After the attack, the man abandoned the weapon at the entrance and fled, although he was arrested shortly after.

The crime occurred just hours after Karaca had requested a fourth restraining order against her ex-husband, which had not yet been served. During his arrest, Ayintapli confessed to the murder and was taken to court.

This incident has reignited the debate on domestic violence in Turkey, where, according to human rights organizations, 394 women were murdered by men in 2024 alone, equivalent to more than one victim per day.

Activists have once again called on the Turkish government to take urgent and effective measures to protect women, noting that gender-based violence remains a national emergency that is claiming lives at an alarming rate.