A number of male protesters in Turkey donned miniskirts this weekend as part of a growing campaign in support of women in the wake of the brutal murder of a young university student after an alleged rape attempt.
Ozgecan Aslan's burned body was found in a riverbed on Feb. 13. The 20-year-old student was last seen two days earlier on a minibus in Mersin, a port city in southern Turkey.
According to local media, the bus driver, Suphi Altindoken, has confessed to killing Aslan and mutilating her body. Police have since arrested Altindoken, along with his father and another man.
The case has sparked massive demonstrations in the country, including a rally of some 15,000 last Wednesday. On Saturday, violence against women rallies were held Istanbul and Ankara, where protesters held posters of Aslan and some men wore skirts.
Male protesters wear skirts during a rally in Istanbul on Feb. 21, 2015. (Emrah Gurel/AP Photo)
Protesters hold placards at a rally in Ankara following the murder a 20-year-old Turkey university student on Feb. 21, 2015 (Burhan Ozbilici/AP Photo)
The miniskirts are part of a social-media movement in Turkey, with critics saying the country's ruling Justice and Development Party has not done enough to protect women against violence.
To show their solidary, other men have taken to posting selfies while donning miniskirts, using the hashtag #ozgecanicinminietekgiy. The hashtag translates to "wear a miniskirt for Ozgecan."
Turkish men wear skirts to protest vilifying comments humiliate women. #EteğiniGiyTaksimeGel #ozgecanicinminietekgiy pic.twitter.com/sKZ7N624vv
— Zambak Tukan (@ZambakTukan) February 18, 2015
#ozgecanicinminietekgiy "En soutien à l'étudiante turque assassinée http://t.co/UoRA6QWO2h pic.twitter.com/fCVLAzp3dk"
— élodie rubin (@latika_74) February 22, 2015
A Facebook page supporting the cause has also attracted nearly 60,000 "likes." The page shows photos of memorials and recent protests that were held in honour of Aslan.
A number of Turkish women have also been posting photographs of themselves on social media wearing black, using the hashtag #OzegcanAlsan.
