14/10/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
According to the latest report by the HRFT, at least 72 discriminatory, racist, LGBTI+ phobic, and hate-fueled attacks were recorded in the first eight months of 2024. The report reveals that 29 of these attacks targeted refugees, 13 were aimed at Kurds, and 12 specifically targeted LGBTI+ individuals.
The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT)'s report, titled “Discriminatory, Racist, Phobic, and Hateful Physical and Verbal Attacks and Violations of Rights,” covers incidents from 1 January to 1 September 2024. It highlights various forms of violence, from attacks against refugees and asylum seekers in Kayseri, to the detention of individuals dancing to Kurdish music, attacks on Pride Week events, and the targeting of religious and ethnic minority groups. Even racist and hate-driven chants in sports stadiums are discussed in the report.
During the reporting period, 72 verbal and physical assaults with discriminatory and hateful motives were recorded across Turkey. Out of these, 29 targeted refugees and foreign nationals, 13 Kurds, 12 LGBTI+ individuals, and 7 ethnic and religious minorities or those expressing their religious beliefs. An additional 11 incidents involved other groups or individuals. As a result of these attacks, five people lost their lives, including one ethnic-religious minority, two refugees, one LGBTI+ person, and one individual expressing their religious beliefs. At least 26 people were injured in these incidents.
Click to read the report in Turkish.
HRFT identified at least 45 cases of discriminatory, racist, phobic, and hate-driven administrative measures imposed by official institutions against Kurds, LGBTI+ individuals, and refugees/asylum-seekers in the first eight months of 2024. These actions led to severe consequences, including the deaths of three refugees/asylum-seekers, one of whom died after deportation. Additionally, at least 661 people were subjected to torture and ill-treatment, 59 of them being refugees or asylum-seekers.
In its report, the HRFT also detailed interventions by law enforcement against peaceful gatherings and events, such as Newroz celebrations and Pride Marches. These included the banning of dancing halay to Kurdish music at weddings and in public spaces. As a result of security force crackdowns on 32 such peaceful events, at least 602 people were detained, 40 were arrested, 66 were released under judicial control, and one person was placed under house arrest.
Pride Month detentions
According to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), law enforcement intervened in at least eight peaceful gatherings and demonstrations organized by LGBTI+ groups during Trans Pride Week and Pride Month, as well as protests against discriminatory, phobic attitudes. As a result, at least 56 individuals were detained, facing charges including “violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations,” "resisting to prevent carrying out duty,” “insult,” and “simple injury.” Six of the detainees were released under judicial control.
In addition, a broader crackdown on various protests led to the detention of at least 498 individuals, including children, on similar charges, such as “making propaganda for an illegal organization” and violations of Law No. 2911. Ten people were arrested, and 51 were released on judicial control.
“This signifies a fundamental erosion of the rule of law”
The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) report highlighted the growing danger posed by discriminatory, racist, phobic, and hateful discourse and actions directed at marginalized social groups. It expressed concern that the indifferent attitude of authorities, law enforcement, and politicians towards aggressive acts, such as the near-lynching incidents in Kayseri, essentially condones such violence, contributing to its normalization in society. The report noted:
“The alarming levels of aggression, coupled with the legitimizing actions and attitudes of public authorities, are a stark reflection of the structural violence that shapes political and social relations in Turkey. This violence is not confined to incidents involving refugees or asylum seekers but affects a broad spectrum of society. A state that has removed human rights and their foundational principles from its sphere of governance, choosing instead to enforce public order through violence and repression, implicitly endorses the role of violence in regulating social relations. This signifies a fundamental erosion of the rule of law and the dismantling of the potential for a democratic society.”
Tags: human rights
