Syrian woman found handcuffed, stabbed to death in southern Turkey

An 18-year old Syrian woman was found handcuffed and stabbed to death in her house in Sanliurfa, southern Turkey earlier this week, local reports said.

The woman's body was discovered early on Thursday by members of her family, prompting Turkish police to open an investigation, according to Turkish news agency DHA.

The young woman - identified by police as Yasmine al-Jasim - had not been in contact with her family for several days, Syrian sources close to the family told Saudi news outlet al-Arabiya Net.

The woman's 13-year old sister managed to make her way into the house by forcing open a window and using a key found by their father, the sources said.

The motives of the gruesome crime were not yet known but the murder has shocked the large Syrian population of Sanliurfa. 

According to a local charity protecting women from domestic violence in Sanliurfa, the woman had been married for two years. 

After her death was announced, her husband reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown and was moved to a hospital.

Al-Jasim’s husband worked in a car repair workshop and has been a resident of Sanliurfa for many years having fled Syria during the 11-year civil war, according to al-Arabiya Net. 

Turkey formally withdrew from a treaty combatting femicide and domestic abuse in 2021, despite widespread protests in the country. 

According to the UNHCR, Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million registered refugees from Syria.