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Trans LGBT rights activist burned and tortured in Turkey

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G.ZZZ

Member
Not sure how reliable the news is, i've seen it on a popular italian news site, but not on respectable international ones. In wait for a good source:

http://www.france24.com/en/20160819...death-highlights-rise-hate-crimes-hande-kader

Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported that the badly burnt and mutilated body of Hande Kader, a 22-year-old LGBT activist and sex worker, was found on August 8 by the roadside in a residential area of Istanbul.

Although DNA evidence has yet to confirm the remains belong to Kader, the director of a gay rights group said her boyfriend and some friends had positively identified the body.

Emirhan Deniz Çelebi, the director of SPoD, a national LGBT organisation based in Istanbul, joined other LGBT associations in condemning what they believe is deliberate silence by the country’s mainstream media in the wake of the activist’s death.

"We are not equal,” he said.

After Kader was arrested during an equal rights rally and faced down police water cannons during last year's Gay Pride parade, she became a symbolic figure in the LGBT community.

Minorities targeted

After last month’s failed coup in which the government instituted a state of emergency, the rights of minorities including gays, women and LGBT members have been whittled away.

While the Turkish capital has been a safe haven for many fleeing persecution and war in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, hate crimes against LGBT people have increased.

“Since the coup-attempt, a number of my transgender friends have called me and talked about how they were discriminated against because of their ID Cards and appearance,” Deniz Çelebi said.

Turkish lawyer and LGBT rights advocate Levent Pişkin said Erdogan’s rampant purges have exacerbated the fears of minorities.

“Actually, LGBT people in Turkey have never had legal rights,” said Pişkin.

“But we knew there were judicial mechanisms to support us. Nowadays, most people feel more vulnerable.”

Kader’s murder comes less than two weeks after the beheading of a gay Syrian refugee whose body was found not far from where Kader was discovered.

Although homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey as it is in many other Muslim countries, homophobia remains widespread. Almost 80 percent of Turks believe homosexuality is “morally unacceptable” according to a 2013 study by the US think tank PEW Research Center.

Pişkin said Kader’s death is symptomatic of a country shifting away from secularism.

“An Islamic tendency has gradually been getting stronger,” said Pişkin.

“The government has preferred war over strengthening our democracy. Therefore, our democratic rights and one’s right to life hang by a thread.”

LGBT activists will stage a demonstration on Sunday in Istanbul's İstiklal Avenue to raise further awareness about Kader's death.

Lock if fake.
 

Phamit

Member
This seems crazy, I hope it isn't true. Finding another dead body at the same place would make it look like people targeting LGBT people
 

Ekai

Member
I'm seeing this all over so I imagine it would be accurate. Advocate picked it up. As did Buzzfeed and what seems to be a LGBT specific site over in Turkey. BBC and CNN Turk have it as well.

From my reading it is believed/established that she was raped as well. Extremely disheartening to see and even worse it's sadly not at all out of the norm. for violence to happen to us regardless of where we live.
 

Ekai

Member
This seems crazy, I hope it isn't true. Finding another dead body at the same place would make it look like people targeting LGBT people

It really does make it seem like a pattern, yea. I should see if there's any way to donate to LGBT causes over in Turkey atm.

Sorry for the double-post.
 

Anura

Member
This kind of stuff always makes me nervous and I'm all the way in the states.

But that's what they want isn't it?
 

Ekai

Member
This kind of stuff always makes me nervous and I'm all the way in the states.

But that's what they want isn't it?

More or less, yes.

It makes me nervous but honestly we face violence in the states too. It's just not all that talked about.
 

Square2015

Member
Pişkin said Kader’s death is symptomatic of a country shifting away from secularism.

“An Islamic tendency has gradually been getting stronger,” said Pişkin.
Wonderful. Another middle eastern nation going hardline Islamic.
 

I don't understand this kind of comment. A transexual was killed last year in the UK. It's happen all the time in the US. So why it's different ?
Turkey legalized homosexuality before the US and Europe, when it was the Ottoman Empire and ruling by shari'a law in the 19th century.

Do you think these kind of thing didn't happen when CHP was in charge ?
Iran is a theocracy, Turkey is simply not. I know both country, they have nothing to do with each other, you have a religious police in Iran and the picture of Supreme Leader everywhere.
 

Azzanadra

Member
What was the aim again? 2023?

Yeah, no.

But this stuff happens in "enlightened" western countries as well?

This is horrible to hear, it seems despite our advancements as a society, trans people and other members of LGBTQ+ are still persecuted and not allowed an equal standard of living. And as stated above, Ia not talking just about Turkey or third world countries- this problem manifests in horrific ways in both EU countries and America.
 

Oriel

Member
The ugly reality of Erdogan's new Turkey. Expect things to get a lot worse in time.

And to think many opposed the attempted coup last month.
 

Breads

Banned
“Actually, LGBT people in Turkey have never had legal rights,” said Pişkin.

Holy fuck if true.

But this stuff happens in "enlightened" western countries as well?

This is horrible to hear, it seems despite our advancements as a society, trans people and other members of LGBTQ+ are still persecuted and not allowed an equal standard of living. And as stated above, Ia not talking just about Turkey or third world countries- this problem manifests in horrific ways in both EU countries and America.

Depending on the extent on what the above means I would dare to say that hate crimes and bathroom laws aren't exactly the same thing.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
What the actual fuck. Turkey is really going to shit, is it? :/


Well, it is, but this particular incident could and has happened in the us. In fact one of our binary political parties has chosen to deliberately dehumanize and crush the rights of trans people to get votes. Spending millions of dollars and accusing them of being rapists. Right now.
 

steamingsarcasm

Neo Member
Fucking enraging. Sadly, I don't see the situation changing any time soon so I hope the LGBT turks try to be as safe as they can.
Depending on the extent on what the above means I would dare to say that hate crimes isn't exactly the same thing.
It really isn't that different when a lot of these "hate crimes" are done by the goddamn police.
 

Ekai

Member
Well, it is, but this particular incident could and has happened in the us. In fact one of our binary political parties has chosen to deliberately dehumanize and crush the rights of trans people to get votes. Spending millions of dollars and accusing them of being rapists. Right now.

Mhmmm.
 
If Erdogan continues to get his way, those are coming.

Really doubt so, he is not an ideologue nor his follower take him for one and he present himself as a secular. He never speak about shari'a law. He more like Peron for Argentina. Islam for him is more a cultural identity than an ideological one, it's not the case for everyone in the AKP though. He even said that he wasn't a sunni nor a shia recently.

It's not like a historical processus like Iranian revolution of 1979 can be replicated on any other situation.

Edit: Anyway it's sad that this kind of dreadful event is used politically.
 
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