A man has been apprehended following the tragic incident where a pregnant woman fell from a balcony in Bursa, Turkey. Authorities took a 37-year-old male suspect into custody after Ekram Hassan, a 35-year-old woman who was seven months pregnant, plummeted from her family’s residence on Durmus Street in the Ucevler neighborhood of the Nilufer district during the late hours.
Despite prompt emergency response to the fall, Ekram succumbed to her severe injuries at the scene. In connection with her demise, her 37-year-old husband has been arrested and detained by law enforcement, with suspicions of substance misuse also raised against him.
Forensic investigators were dispatched to the location to scrutinize both the interior and exterior of the property where the tragic incident occurred. Authorities are actively investigating all possible scenarios leading up to Ekram’s fatal fall.
The body of the deceased woman was transferred to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute for a detailed post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, a heartfelt statement from Ekram’s mother-in-law conveyed deep sorrow and affection for her daughter-in-law, emphasizing the significant impact Ekram had on her life.
Ekram’s untimely death adds to the rising concerns over the escalating number of female fatalities in Turkey. Campaign groups like ‘We Will Stop Femicide’ have been monitoring and reporting on such incidents, citing alarming statistics of 215 women found dead in the initial seven months of 2026, following Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in July 2021.
The Istanbul Convention previously mandated thorough investigations into any violent deaths of women. However, the lack of official data release by Turkish authorities has placed the responsibility of tracking femicide incidents on organizations like ‘We Will Stop Femicide’. According to their records, 294 women died at the hands of men in 2025, with an additional 297 deaths classified as “suspicious”.
Calls for reform in the investigative process have been made, with advocates highlighting the importance of early autopsies and evidence collection at crime scenes. Nonetheless, concerns persist over the potential for cases to be prematurely closed by prosecutors, categorizing incidents as accidents or suicides despite suspicious circumstances.
Dr. Gulsum Kav, a women’s rights campaigner, emphasized the need for thorough investigations from the onset of such cases to ensure justice and accountability.
