Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted condolences after Gutkin was killed. He wrote: "We were pained when we learned that Gutkin was murdered by thugs. I despise all crimes committed against women." To many women's rights activists, that sounded hollow. After all, it is difficult for the Turkish government to see concrete progress in implementing the "Istanbul Convention".

The Istanbul Convention, officially job email list known as the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, was adopted in Istanbul in 2011 and requires signatory governments Legislate to prevent violence against women, including domestic violence.

Turkey was the first signatory to the Istanbul Convention, which entered into force in 2014. Conservatives, such as religious groups, insist the convention encourages divorce and disrupts family harmony, and the LGBT community has invoked the convention's affirmative-action ideals for social acceptance. Turkey's withdrawal from the "Istanbul Pact" last year was nothing but another head-on blow to the century-old women's rights movement.