Hate Crime Against Gay Teenager in Turkey

 

According to FemînKurd.Net, the local papers did not cover the fact that R.A. was gay and the mainstream media ignored the back story of the murder.

 

Covered in the media as a “regular murder”, family of the young boy knew that he was gay. Based on the information given to FemînKurd.Net, men of the family killed R.A. with hate motive after they learned his sexual orientation. 

 

According to the website, witnesses are being forced by the rich and powerful tribal family to refrain from talking to sweep the incident under the carpet:

 

“Quite slow a jurisdiction, pressure on the witnesses and judicial authorities being reluctant on the case cause worries regarding the proper punishment of the murderers.”

 

On behalf of the Ankara-based LGBT organization Kaos GL, Ali Erol evaluates so-called ‘honor killings’ as follows:

 

“As ‘honor’ is always perceived as a local issue we like to call the murder an honor murder committed with a hate motive, thinking that it’s correct in terms of jurisdiction as well. Out of this context, it looks like a phenomenon limited to a certain socio-cultural locality. This might hinder the homophobic and transphobic hate which prepares for the violation of right to life with the use of other discrimination ideologies. Of course the discrimination ideologies I mention is the nationalist and racist approaches against the Kurdish living in that locality which appears on every occasion. The government is responsible to ensure the right of life of women and LGBT people so that they can live without the fear of being killed. Besides legal regulations, it should protect women and LGBT people from honor and hate murders. Only such a political decisiveness push back honor and hate.”

 

In 2008, Ahmet Yildiz, a young Kurdish gay man who left Urfa to Istanbul to live his life honestly and openly was murdered by his father for ‘shaming’ the family.

 

Kurdish LGBT organisations, including Hebûn, the LGBT group in Diyarbakir, have repeatedly stressed that such murders are under reported by the family, community and police who often all have an interest to cover up such incidents.

 

 

Based on a letter sent to FemînKurd.Net called “Being R.A. or gay in Kurdistan” by Wénda Munzur, the incident took place as follows:

 

“In Amed’s Metropol district, R.A. aged 17 was shot to death 14 times by his father and uncle as a victim of gay honor killing and hate...”

 

Having problems with his family, R.A. left home and sought refuge at a close friend’s house. Following his mother having told the father that he was gay, R.A. was found and kidnapped by his uncle. After discussing with his uncle, R.A. was exposed to violence by him. When R.A.’s father arrived, the father led to the death of his own son with 14 times of shooting.”

 

“After being killed, R.A. has been disposed on the roadside. Soon after the mother told everything to the police that the father and the uncle got caught. However, the Amed press and the national media did not emphasize the incident as they should. Since the teenager murdered was gay, it was all kept silent.” 

 

Highlighting “the necessity of living together in democracy”, Wénda Munzur said:

 

“What do those who detest and disapprove homosexuality think about the necessity that we must live together in a democracy no matter our ethnic origin, religion, race or gender identity? Isn’t it a must in democracy that different people live together?”

 

“This world where humans are alienated from nature and people exploit one another is an unjust place. If you are attracted to your own sex or having a different sexual identity other than what society loads on you, injustice doubles. For gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, it is an intolerable world.” 

 

“Homosexuality existed all through the history. Not only among human communities but also among animals. However, at some point in history sovereign powers started forcing everyone to be straight and those who do not fit have been excluded, discriminated, insulted, isolated, left in hunger and what’s even worse killed.”

 

“Dominant ideas in society have been determined by the sovereign. All through the history hate against gays have been triggered by these sovereign powers. Most of the times, violence and discrimination have been inflicted by the State itself. They decided what is ‘normal’ and what is ‘abnomal’.”

 

“For so many years colleges which serve for the sovereign classes categorized homosexuality as a ‘deviance’. It was only at the beginning of 70s that homosexuality was regarded as normal as heterosexuality. Today modern medicine and psychiatry accept homosexuality as a way of living. However, this reality is still being rejected and ignored by the sovereign powers.”

 

“The State is regulating sexuality, which is not its duty though. It is making rules about sexuality. What’s important for it is to collect the money and create new worker generations to be exploited without an obstacle. Therefore, sexuality is identified with fertility and family institution which is the oppression of women survives for the very presence of “legitimate sexuality” and “good breed”.

 

For the continuation of capitalism, the State intervenes with sexuality carefully which should be a private domain.”

 

“Although there were periods when homosexuality and sexuality in general were experienced freely, during the last 400 years pressure and violence over gays increased gradually.”

 

 

“In Turkey and Kurdistan,  the Alewi and the Kurdish have been suppressed, oppressed and massacred throughout history. Yet gays have been suppressed, discriminated and killed within communities they belong to either. The general understanding has always been like: There cannot be an Alewi gay. There cannot be gay children of religious families. There cannot be a Kurdish gay... If there is, the end would be death.