Transphobic Hate Crime in Mersin, Turkey

A transsexual who works as a sex worker in the southern city of Mersin was attacked by a group of people with cleavers and sticks in the central district of Yenişehir. The trans woman was seriously injured due to the attacks and was taken to the emergency room of the Toros State Hospital.    

A trans woman named Deniz was attacked by three unknown individuals on Monday night at around 8.30 PM, as she left her house and went to local bank Akbank at Pozcu, Mersin.

 

The unknown attackers first shouted transphobic slogans such as “We don’t want you all here, go away!” They then heavily injured the woman with cleavers and sticks and threw her in front of a moving car on the street.  The trans woman’s head was cut due to being beaten up with cleavers and her left leg was broken.

 

Citizens at the scene of the crime called an ambulance and Deniz was taken to the emergency room of the Toros State Hospital. She stated, “While I was being assaulted, no one helped me. I want the police to investigate the camera recordings where the attack happened.” Deniz’s broken leg was put in a cast and her treatment still continues.

 

Deniz’s trans friends who are accompanying her at the emergency room claimed that policemen treated them badly at the hospital. They said, “Deniz was kept on the stretcher for a long time after she arrived at the hospital. A security cordon was set around us as if we were threats risks to others. The attending physician referred Deniz to the Mersin State Hospital for X-rays. Even though there were two ambulances in front of the hospital, we were told that we should call the 112 (emergency hotline) and call an ambulance ourselves.”

 

LGBT organizations Mersin 7 Renk (7 Colors) LGBT and Queer Adana together with Toplumsal Ekolojik Dönüşüm Derneği (Social Ecological Transformation Association) will make a press release at the scene of crime tomorrow at 5 pm on Kushimato Street in Mersin.

 

Translation: LGBTI News Turkey