Sevda Karaca Follows Up on Meliha Keskin Murder in Turkish Parliament

Today, June 16, 2026, Sevda Karaca, Member of Parliament from the Labor Party of Turkey (EMEP), returned the shocking murder case of Erciyes University student Meliha Keskin to the parliamentary agenda by submitting an official inquiry to the Parliament Presidency [1]. This action comes as Turkish civil society remains concerned about the safety of women in educational environments.

Details of the Crime in the Heart of the University Meliha Keskin, a 39-year-old Folklore student at Erciyes University and mother of three, was attacked on October 23, 2025, while sitting in the Faculty of Letters cafeteria [4]. The assailant, Ferhat Karakaya, was her ex-husband who had separated from her five years prior. Karakaya entered the university campus with a shotgun and murdered Meliha [5]. At the time, the incident sparked a wave of student protests demanding the resignation of the university management.

Conviction of the Killer and Continued Legal Struggle Following a long judicial process, the Kayseri Criminal Court sentenced Ferhat Karakaya to aggravated life imprisonment on April 30, 2026, for "premeditated murder" [2]. In her statements today, Sevda Karaca emphasized that although this verdict is the result of the tireless struggle of students and women's rights activists, the case regarding the university's administrative and security responsibilities remains open [3].

Unanswered Questions for the Minister of Education In her inquiry addressed to Yusuf Tekin, Turkey's Minister of National Education, Karaca raised difficult questions. She asked how an armed individual could pass through university security gates with a shotgun and penetrate the heart of the faculty [1]. She also strongly criticized Fatih Altun, the Rector of Erciyes University, who at the time of the incident described the murder as an "isolated incident" that did not call into question the overall security of the university [2].

Pressure on Student Organizations and Women's Safety Another part of this parliamentary follow-up is dedicated to reports showing that some student clubs that supported the protests after Meliha's murder are now under pressure from university management and have been deprived of university facilities [3]. Karaca called for an end to these pressures and the establishment of "Sexual Harassment Prevention Units" (CİTÖB) on all university campuses to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies [1]. She emphasized that student safety should not be sacrificed for managerial cover-ups.