Turkish Student’s Murder Sparks Anger Over Violence Against Women

The murder of a woman after resisting an attempted rapist has sparked mass protests in Turkey and prompted outcry on social media.

Police say Ozgecan Aslan, a 20-year-old psychology student, was stabbed and beaten to death on a bus in Turkey’s Mersin province Wednesday when she pepper sprayed a man who tried to rape her, according to The Guardian. Police arrested three men in connection with Aslan’s death, after recovering her burnt body from a riverbed Friday.

The murder prompted nationwide protests and condemnation from local and national authorities. “Violence against women is the bleeding wound of our country,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan said Monday.

Women also took to social media, where thousands have shared stories of their experiences with sexual violence and harassment, using the hashtag #sendeanlat, which translates to #tellyourstory.

The hashtag was the third most popular in the world on Sunday, Al Jazeera reports. The hashtag #ozgecanaslan also trended, with some 2.5 million tweets sent out by Monday.

The U.S. Embassy to Turkey condemned the violent act Tuesday.