Possible hate crimes in 2009

The cases listed below have not been verified by an additional research. While some might turn out not to be hate crimes there should be many more cases that are not covered here. As far as possible the sources of information are given (mainly names and dates of newspapers).

Hate crimes against ethnic groups and minorities

On 9 January 2009 right wingers attacked on two Kurdish students at Nigde University. Their names were given as E.A. and F.M.D.. It is reported that E.A. had hits to his neck and jaw and having trouble in speaking (ANF, 10 January).

Behçet Özkan, a student at Giresun University, was allegedly beaten by right-wingers. Özkan stated that the assailants told him that he cannot carry on his education in Giresun Province. Özkan got a health report of “disability to work” for one month (Günlük, 4 February).

Servek Yanik was beaten by a group of right-wingers in Kalkan Municipality of Kas District of Antalya Province on 9 February 2009. He got a health report of “disability to work” for 10 days (Taraf, 16 February).

Thirty right-wingers attacked Lokman Bayer, a student of Uludag University with choppers and sticks in Bursa Province on 15 March 2009 (Gündem, 15 March).

E.Ç. killed his Kurdish colleague Resat Aydeniz and put his body in a box on his balcony in Eskisehir Province on 18 March 2009. E.Ç. said that “I killed a Kurd, a terrorist” as a reply to the questions of journalists (Günlük, 22 March).

Batman Star Firm’s bus which was going to Antalya Province from Batman Province on 30 March 2009 was stopped by a car blocking the road in Nizip District of Antep Province. Six people who got off the car attacked and insulted the passengers as members of the PKKKurdish Workers' Party . Later in the industrial region of the district nearly 50 people attacked the bus with stones and wounded all passengers (Günlük, 1 April).

Hate crimes against religious groups and minorities

Unidentified person(s) attacked Söz Kitabevi (bookstore) which has been publishing books on Christianity and broke the glass door of the bookstore in Adana Province on 12 February 2009. Another attack on the bookstore took place on 5 February 2009 (Milliyet, 13 February).

A case was launched in Eskisehir Penal Court of Peace No. 4 against the chairperson of the Federation of Culture Associations of Osmangazi Niyazi Çapa who organised a demonstration with posters on which “Dogs are Allowed” and “Jews and Armenians are not Allowed” was written. Charges of “inciting people to hatred and enmity” were brought under Article 216 of TPCTurkish Penal Code (bianet.org, 17 February).

Hate crimes against the political "enemy"

Note: The countless attacks on offices of political parties are not mentioned here. They will only be listed, if they resulted in bodily harm.

Saime Akin was wounded in the attack on the DTP’s Izmir Branch office with stone on 3 January 2009. The attacker was apprehended by the party members in the building and handed to police officers (atilim.org, 3 January).

Çagdas Gamze Öymez (24), was beaten by right-wingers in Gazi University when she declined to leave the canteen in the university on 24 February 2009. She made an official complaint to Ankara Chief Public Prosecution Office against the perpetrators (Milliyet, 24 February).

On 19 March 2009 right-wingers attacked students in Ankara University Political Science Faculty with knifes and choppers. Police teams took no action against the perpetrators (HRFTHuman Rights Foundation of Turkey , 20 March).

A student was wounded in the attack of right-wingers at Onsekiz Mart University in Çanakkale Province on 5 April 2009 (Zaman, 6 April).

Two out of three students who had been attacked by right-wingers in Istanbul University were hospitalised on 8 April 2009 (kizilbayrak.net, 8 April).

Hate crimes based on homophobia

Beyoglu Chief Public Prosecution Office launched a case in Beyoglu Penal Court of Peace No. 2 against the three police officers who allegedly harassed Ü.E. in Beyoglu Police Station on 26 April 2007 on charges of “insulting” and “wounding” (Radikal, 7 January).

Fevzinur Dündar, the president of the Shopkeepers and Artisans that Support Bursaspor Association, who had allegedly directed the lynch attempt against the march of “1st Gay Gathering of Turkey” organised by Rainbow Association in Bursa Province on 6 August 2006, was acquitted from charges of “inciting people to hatred and enmity” under Article 216 of TPC in Bursa Penal Court of First Instance No.4 on 3 April 2009 (Radikal, 3 April).

On 24 March the local newspaper Bursahakimyet carried a story that was updated almost in hourly intervals. The horrific story was about a corpse that was found without a head in Yildirim district of Bursa province. It was believed that the corpse belonged to a woman, aged 30 to 35, whose silicon chests had been destroyed as well. It was also suspected that it might be a prostitute.

At 1.45pm the paper reported that the corpse belonged to a transsexual. At 5.45pm the paper had found out that the killed person had carried the name of Erdogan. She had been born in Zara district (Sivas) in 1971.

On 23 March some papers carried news about an attack on a transvestite in Eskisehir. The victim was named L.D., aged 29. The police was looking for the three attackers that had injured L.D. with knifes.

On 12 March Human Rights Watch published the following news:

The killing of Ebru Soykan, a prominent transgender human rights activist, on March 10, 2009, shows a continuing climate of violence based on gender identity that authorities should urgently take steps to combat, Human Rights Watch said today. News reports and members of a Turkish human rights group said that an assailant stabbed and killed Ebru, 28, in her home in the center of Istanbul.

Members of Lambda Istanbul, which works for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and transsexual (LGBTT) people, told Human Rights Watch that in the last month Ebru had asked the Prosecutor's Office for protection from the man who had beaten her on several occasions and threatened to kill her. Lambda Istanbul was told that a few weeks ago police detained the man but released him two hours later. The same man is under police custody as the murder suspect.

KaosGL issued a press release on 25 March pointing at reports in the daily Radikal and the Internet news site Internethaber. The incident happened in Havsa district of Edirne province. Yasar Sert (35) and Sükrü Gencer (57), married and father of two children, had been drinking together in an old barack. Yasar Sert killed Sükrü Gencer by strangling him to death. He had tied him by his hands and legs.

After arrest Yasar Sert stated that he had killed Sükrü Gencer, because he had asked him for sexual intercourse.

The independent communication network BIA reported on 13 April on the death of Melek K. (25), member of the Solidarity Association Pink Life (Pembe Hayat) LGBTT. She had been killed in her home in Kavaklidere district (Ankara) on 11 April.

Footnotes

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