10/04/2015 | Writer: Ozan Uğur
In the northeastern city of Kars, Kafkas University student and LGBTI activist has been the victim of a homophobic attack by a group of 4-5 people.
In the eastern city of Kars, Kafkas University student and LGBTI activist has been the victim of a homophobic attack by a group of 4-5 people. He said that he did not report the assault to the police because of past experiences with discrimination by the police based on his sexual orientation. He recounted that, in the past year, when his computer was stolen, instead of finding the offender, the police had directed him questions such as “Who have you slept with from the [police] organization?”
Yet another homophobic attack has taken place. Meanwhile LGBTI people remain unprotected by the constitution and hate speech and hate crimes based on sexual orientation and sexual identity lack proper punishment.
Kafkas University student and LGBTI activist, who was waiting on the street to meet his friends on the evening of March 26 in the northeastern city of Kars, has been the victim of a homophobic attack.
Bystanders watched the attack!
Activist, who had left the coffee shop where he had met a friend prior to the attack in order to wait for another friend on the street, has been the victim of an assault by a group of 4-5 people. The individuals had at first asked for a cigarette from him and he handed the cigarette to them, upon which he had crossed to street. However the individuals followed him, shouting “Faggot, sissy!” He was unable to find any open stores in which he could hide. He said that bystanders also failed to help him.
Discrimination by the police one year prior to the attack
Subsequently his friend arrived and picked him up with a car and drove him to his home. Activist, who did not want to go to the police or the hospital, said: “In January 2014, a burglar broke into my place and stole my computer. I went to the police station and the police harassed me because of my sexual orientation. They claimed that my computer was stolen because I kept somebody’s porn and they harassed me by asking questions such as ‘Who did you sleep with from the [police] organization?’ They did not do anything in spite of my identifying the offender and the video recordings. If I were to go to the hospital, the event that I experienced last night would go to the police and I would be put through the same things again. For this reason, I did not want to go to the police, nor the hospital.”
Discrimination is everywhere!
He said “During this attack, during which no theft has occurred, the attackers left the crime scene after kicking and hitting me, although they also pulled a knife to threaten me.” He also expressed that, on the day of the attack, he experienced discrimination because of his sexual orientation at a coffee shop in Kars too. He reported that he and his friend were made to leave the coffee shop after being told that they would not be served there. He added that they have been through similar experiences in the past.
Translation: LGBTI News Turkey
Tags: human rights
