Merve Yılmazeli
Age 409 Jul 2026
Istanbul (Turkey)
Hit and run
Merve was a motorcycle courier. After she was killed by a hit and run driver, her colleagues gathered in her memory but her birth family refused to accept her body.
Merve Yilmazeli was a transgender woman working as a courier for a company. She lost her life in an accident caused by a reckless driver speeding and swerving on the E-5 highway in Beylikdüzü, Istanbul. Her life was cut short because of someone else's irresponsibility.
There is no information whatsoever about the driver who took the life of 40-year-old Merve. Why? The other heartbreaking aspect is that Merve's family has refused to accept the body. It has been stated that if the body is not claimed today, the 40-year-old woman will be buried in a pauper's cemetery with lawyers present.
I cannot comprehend such wickedness, such cruelty. We hope the perpetrator receives the harshest punishment and that Merve's body is not buried in a pauper's cemetery. Life cannot be lived with such hatred.
Rest in peace, Merve. I am so, so sad.
Update: Friends, it is said that after some efforts, the uncle has accepted the body. Attempts have also been made to contact the family. The courier news outlet we referenced will provide an update shortly, and we will update you if there are any developments.
Update 2: Journalist Evrim Kepenek: “The transgender courier's family initially refused the body, then accepted it, and found 215 TL in her pocket, which they donated to the mosque.”
Merve was buried yesterday.
Merve's funeral was marked by a motorcycle cavalcade as her (overwhelmingly male and cisgender) colleagues all gathered to mourn her death and celebrate her memory.
A memorial and justice ride was held at Silivri Çanta Cemetery for Merve Yilmazelli, a motorcycle courier who lost her life on the night of July 9th when she was hit by a car driven by reckless drivers on the E-5 highway in Beylikdüzü. The memorial highlighted the precarious working conditions of couriers, the at least 265 workplace deaths in the last 5 years, and the fact that the perpetrators have still not been caught.
Couriers spoke out at the graveside of their colleague Merve Yilmazelli: "When Merve passed away, she only had 215 TL in her pocket. That 215 lira is a bitter summary of the value placed on our lives."
The perpetrators of Merve Yilmazelli's death must be found and brought to justice.
https://bianet.org/haber/couriers-mourn-trans-delivery-worker-killed-on-the-job-321543
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da26SwTMava
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DavMchatqHT/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dau7B_WjZfJ/
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da1CsN0oIGp/
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da26SwTMava/
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1010306178550056
https://www.facebook.com/reel/862385793333727
https://x.com/1filinta1/status/2077675013759504625
https://x.com/NazirKapusuz/status/2077474296352375282
https://x.com/bianet_eng/status/2077712955660026231
