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List of victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes in Turkey

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The following is a list of victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes in Turkey. For decades, there have been reports of murders and crimes targeted towards LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people in Turkey.[1] In general,[2] homophobia is considered to be common across the country.[3] As a result, numerous homicide victims are LGBT people who get murdered due to hate crimes.

Notable cases covered in the media

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Between 2002 and 2013, at least 69 transgender, transvestite and transsexual people were murdered in Turkey due to hate crimes.[4]

Çetin Çalık

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Çetin Çalık, a 28-year-old engineer who lives in Beşiktaş apart from his family, was tortured and stabbed to death several times after coming to the house from a gay bar with a gay partner.[5]

Petro Melikşahoğlu

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29-year-old transvestite Petro Melikşahoğlu was attacked in Harbiye, Şişli, by a group of men from Eskişehir on 16 February 2001, who attempted to force him into sexual intercourse, but upon his refusal Melikşahoğlu was killed and extorted. The murderers were later arrested.[6]

Ekrem Yılmaz

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Ekrem Yılmaz, a 49-year-old retired worker, was killed on 27 August 1999 by young men he had an affair with at home, but his murderers were never found.[7]

Ahmet Yıldız

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Main article: Murder of Ahmet Yıldız

Ahmet Yıldız was killed by his father in Üsküdar, Istanbul, on 15 July 2008 while he was running away. His murder is the first known case of honor killing of gay people in Turkey.[8]

Engin Temel

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Engin Temel, a 24-year-old gay worker in Love Point, a gay bar in Istanbul, was killed on 8 December 2008 outside his house in Şişli. Following the murder, 467 people were questioned, including a number of businessmen, but the case was not solved.[9]

İrem Okan

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"'They could not find a place for my child anywhere in the whole world...'

Can any sentence be so concise, deep and painful? This sentence can only come from and fall out of a mother's or a father's mouths. As long as my breath is sufficient enough, I will take a stand against this discrimination, this speciesism, this cruelty that ignores and destroys those who are not like them; I'll take the side of those whose right to live was blocked. With all my heart and hope..."

Sezen Aksu official website

28-year-old transvestite İrem Okan, who had sex with people she met on the internet in Bursa, became a victim of hate crime by the person she met on 22 September 2010.[11] The mother of İrem Okan, as she was known in the public, was later found in front of her murdered child's house.[12] While crying for her child, she stated: "My son had always been pushed from society because of his sexual preference. He wanted to study. They did not let him. They couldn't find a place for my son in the whole world. My son was guilty, but aren't those who slept with him guilty as well?"[13] Artist Sezen Aksu later issued a letter dedicated to "İrem" on the anniversary of the founding of SPoD, which was opened to commemorate LGBT individuals who were killed.[14]

Following the incident on 22 September 2010,[15] the suspect was arrested later that day,[16] and on 7 April 2011 he was sentenced to 28 years and 4 months in prison.[17]

Roşin Çiçek

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In July 2012, 17-year-old Kurdish Roşin Çiçek from Kayapınar, who had tried to run away from home as he was subject to domestic violence due to his homosexuality, was later killed by his father and uncles and his body was thrown on the roadside.[18] The father and uncles who committed the murder confessed to their crimes. During the hearing of the case, Republican People's Party MP Mahmut Tanal, Ceren Women's Association and many LGBT associations demanded to intervene in the case.[19] The court sentenced Çiçek's father to aggravated life imprisonment and his uncles to life imprisonment.[20]

Ferhat İlken

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On November 20, 2013 in İskenderun, Hatay, 27-year-old Ferhat İlken was handcuffed, his feet were tied, his head was sacked and smashed and he was eventually strangled. 3 Syrian suspects were arrested and released after investigations by the police.[21] Zechariah Ghirep, one of the three Syrian citizens, confessed to the murder and was arrested again a month after the murder.[22]

Çağla Joker

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25-year-old trans women Çağla Joker and Nalan were attacked by two people in their house in Beyoğlu on 21 April 2014. Çağla Joker was killed at the scene.[23] Life imprisonment for the defendant, who was tried for the deliberate murder of Çağla Joker, was reduced to 10 years due to "unjust provocation" and his "good conduct" as the defendant was under the age of 18.[24] The defendant, in his testimony in court, stated: "We met two people who we thought were women. We bargained. He said he was a man. I wanted the money back. He said he would not give the money back and rained heavy curses on us".[24]

References

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  1. ^ Yavuz, Sevinç (27 March 2001). "Bir yılda dokuz eşcinsel öldürüldü". Hürriyet. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  2. ^ ANKA (2 July 2013). "Türkiye'de şiddetli bir homofobi var ama..." Radikal. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  3. ^ Tugay K (9 November 2012). "Homofobinin Türkiye'si..." Milliyet. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  4. ^ "İzmir'de ilk Onur Yürüyüşü gerçekleştirildi". Sendika.org. 1 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Bankacı cinayetini disketler çözecek". Sabah. 25 June 2002. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Travesti katilleri yakalandı". NTVMSNBC. 21 February 2001. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Sır cinayeti fotoğraflar çözecek". Hürriyet. 27 August 1999. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  8. ^ Black, Jeff (19 July 2008). "Was Ahmet Yildiz the victim of Turkey's first gay honour killing?". Independent. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Ünlü iş adamına 'gay bar cinayeti' sorgusu". Posta. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Sezen Aksu'dan LGBT'lere mektup var..." Sezen Aksu website. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  11. ^ "'Koskoca dünyaya sığdıramadılar evladımı...'". Radikal. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Travesti İrem'in annesinden acı sözler". Milliyet. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  13. ^ "'Okumak istedi, okutmadılar'". Radikal. 23 September 2009. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Sezen Aksu'dan Mektup Var". SPoD.com.tr. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  15. ^ "Ölen Arkadaşları İçin Mum Yaktılar". BeyazGazete.com. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ Selahattin Budakoğlu, Hüseyin Tüccar (22 September 2010). "Travesti İrem'in katil zanlısı yakalandı". Hürriyet.com.tr. Hürriyet. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Travesti katiline rekor ceza!". Haberturk.com.tr. Habertürk. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  18. ^ "17 Yaşındaki eşcinsel R.Ç'nin babası cinayeti itiraf etti, peki ya amca?". Radikal. 24 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Eşcinsel cinayeti davasında karar". NTVMSNBC. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Eşcinsel cinayetine müebbet". Milliyet. 10 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  21. ^ "Hatay'da Homofobik Nefret Cinayeti". KAOS GL. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  22. ^ "İskenderun'da Suriyeli cinayeti". İHA. 21 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  23. ^ "Beyoğlu'nda Trans Cinayeti". Bianet. 22 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  24. ^ a b "Çağla Joker’in katil zanlısına yaş indiriminden sonra bir de ‘haksız tahrik’ indirimi". Diken. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
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