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22 Jul 2008

''Gay poster boy'' believed to be victim of Turkey's first gay honour killing

A 26-year-old Turkish student who died after being shot outside a café near Istanbul last week is believed by friends to be a victim of the first gay "honour killing" recorded in the country.

According to a report in the UK Independent newspaper published on Saturday, Ahmet Yildiz, an openly gay physics student was shot as he was leaving a cafe near the Bosphorus strait. He tried to flee in his car, but lost control and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Ahmet Yildiz, 26, had received death threats shortly after coming out this year. Photo was published in The Independent.
Known as "Turkey's gay poster boy," he had represented his country at an international gay gathering in San Francisco last year. Shortly after coming out this year, Yildiz had reported to the authorities that he had received death threats but they were not investigated. The police are now investigating his murder.

His friend, Sedef Cakmak, was quoted in the paper as saying, "He fell victim to a war between old mentalities and growing civil liberties."

"I feel helpless: we are trying to raise awareness of gay rights in this country, but the more visible we become, the more we open ourselves up to this sort of attack," said Cakmak who is also a member of the gay lobby group Lamda Istanbul. The group, which is the city's largest LGBT association, was ordered by a court to shut down in May this year as its objectives are "against the law and morality."

The paper further quoted a close friend and near neighbour who described Yildiz's relationship with his parents as tumultuous. The family "wanted him to go back home, see a doctor who could cure him, and get married."

"From the day I met him, I never heard Ahmet have a friendly conversation with his parents... They would argue constantly, mostly about where he was, who he was with, what he was doing."

Suggesting that his being openly gay could have been too much for his family to handle, the neighbour said: "He could have hidden who he was, but he wanted to live honestly."

"He was too brave. He was too open."

Friends say they suspect Yildiz's murder to be an honour-related killing as they had been unable to contact his family for funeral arrangements as his body laid in the morgue for three days.

"We've been trying to contact Ahmet's family since Wednesday, to get them to take responsibility for the funeral," one of the victim's friends said. "There's no answer, and I don't think they are going to come."

The refusal of families to bury their relatives is common after honour-related murders.

Mazhar Bagli, a Turkish sociologist told The Independent that although he has not heard of a death revolving around homosexuality, he has no doubt that it could be used as justification. "Honour killings cleanse illicit relationships. For women, that is a broad term. Men are allowed more sexual freedom, but homosexuality is still seen by some as beyond the pale," said the sociologist who had interviewed 189 people convicted of honour killings.

The Human Rights Watch defines an "honour killing" as the murder of a person, usually a woman, suspected of having offended the "honour" of her family or community, generally on the basis of sexual behaviour deemed transgressive - for example, engaging in a sexual relationship outside of heterosexual marriage.

In Turkey - a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country - a recent government study estimated that around 1,000 honour killings have been committed in the past five years. The UN estimates that 5,000 honour killings take place globally every year, from Brazil to Pakistan to Britain.

Turkey

Reader's Comments

1. 2008-07-22 18:07  
the fact that a family would kill one of their own leaves me speachless... MY GOD!!
2. 2008-07-22 18:45  
Honour killings? Closing a gay group because it "is against the law and morality"?
This is a country that wants to join the European Union? Yuck!
3. 2008-07-22 18:56  
I am in Turkey now and have met some gays here. They are all afraid of the old mentality and religion and cannot live their lives frank and open. After this article I understand more that this really is real. We must fight for the human rights for our gay sisters and brothers and dont let them down. In all sorts of culturel and other connetions we should keep this subject of high importance for all gays in Turkey.
Norwaycut
4. 2008-07-22 19:50  
such a hot brute ... a real pity.
5. 2008-07-22 20:03  
All human beings
are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed
with reason and conscience
and should act
towards one another in a spirit
of brotherhood.


Ahmet Yildiz, we honour you brother.
6. 2008-07-22 20:48  
Over the years, people have turned themselves into terrifying monsters. I am in total disbelief! How can they kill people just because he is gay? And a family member? What a shame! Why can't people have an open mind? I do not know this person but hey, I am extremely proud of you Ahmet! You are definitely someone to be remembered! Let us stop this crazy mentality and stigma against gay...People, please think and act like you are real HUMANS!
7. 2008-07-22 22:35  
Gay rights are human rights. This is a real tragedy.
8. 2008-07-22 22:43  
R.I.P. Ahmet. Sorry I never got to meet a person like you.
9. 2008-07-22 23:48  
Honour killings invariably have their roots in oppressive religions.

Backward societies and men are basically still just animals, more vicious than their 4-legged counterparts; definitely no better than the latter, as evil men kill on the slightest whimps and whimpest slights, and not for food.

RIP Ahmet. May the true God protect and keep you.
10. 2008-07-22 23:59  
Very sad but unfortunately not all countries are open to gays. But why antongonise the issue? yes stand up for what you believe in but if it gets you dead, is it worth it? Leave the country or do something else.
Doing gay photos to a country who will kill you for it is asking for trouble.

i know we all have rights but personally i would not die for it.
11. 2008-07-23 00:10  
wow what wrong is this ?
12. 2008-07-23 00:23  
WELL..JUDGE AND YE SHALL BE JUDGED....WHO ARE THESE HUMANS TO JUDGE AND DROP ANOTHER PERSON DEAD JUST FOR BEING THEMSELVES...DONT THEY READ THEIR HOLY BOOKS!!!!!!!! HIPPOCRATES
13. 2008-07-23 00:43  
This is madness!
14. 2008-07-23 00:49  
I can only speak of what I know: The Arab empires from the 8th century onward had suptuous imperial courts where slave boys, servants, and eunuchs not only were kept as concubines, but where a good deal of the greatest love poetry in Arabic literature was addressed to young boys as well.

It has happened all through history, in the royal and imperial courts of the world, where excess has always been the rule.

I can only imagine that Turkey's own great, long enduring, powerful, and suptuous court of Ottoman sultans was the same.
15. 2008-07-23 02:02  
As a global community we mourn. However we must continue to live in the manner that has brought about social change in countries that now accept us as human beings. The public presentation of a lifestyle that is at ease and beautiful is disarming. May this active method continue to bring about social reform even in countries that hold such antiquated beliefs and views.
16. 2008-07-23 02:07  
1 word : Fucking idiots, I mean the mercy killers and the parents. WE ARE NOT SICK OK ?? FUCK OFF YOU FUCKING HOMOPHOBES !!!
17. 2008-07-23 02:41  
So sad Turkey is like this.

So sad for the death of a wonder person. Rest in peace Ahmet Yildiz
18. 2008-07-23 02:45  
I'm tired of tolerance.

And lets change that stupid name "honour killing". It's "hateful murder" that's what it is. MURDER.
19. 2008-07-23 03:02  
And this Turkey wants to become part of the EU? Hah...
Better not let any islamic country to join. What would happen if these barbaric people could wander around Europe uncontrolled...?
20. 2008-07-23 03:08  
bless ya Ahmet ... xoxoxoxo
21. 2008-07-23 03:18  
This is a disgrace and kudos to Fridae for turning the spotlight here. Meanwhile, Anwar seems too hot or too close to handle. (Willl I be censored for this comment? ;)
22. 2008-07-23 05:44  
I feel so sad and sorry about what happened. Why must such brutal action be happened? Why must people treat us differently? Why must gays be outcast? discriminated? hated? Arent we humans afterall... with flesh and blood? Such brutal action should be punished and bring to justice!!

dear ahmet yildiz, I truely and deeply pray for you and wish you are happy now.... wherever you are.... with love, me, reo.
23. 2008-07-23 05:45  
The onlyTurkey worth commenting on is best enjoyed with Cranberry sauce.
24. 2008-07-23 06:54  
sigh.... may he rest in peace
25. 2008-07-23 07:33  
Another reason why Turkey shouldn't be part of the European Union. Such behaviours are horrible and should not happen nowadays, especially when being tacitly approved by the governement (i.e. no real investigation).
26. 2008-07-23 11:37  
I think animals protects their young better than his parents!
27. 2008-07-23 11:46  
peace, no war......please
T.T
28. 2008-07-23 12:04  
been to turkey last nov...nice and beautiful country. its sad that such things happened...seems lyk borders waiting to be crossed are far wider than one could imagine. sigh~~
29. 2008-07-23 13:30  
thanks goodness the EU doesn't allow Turkey to be part of the member. Keep the so-called 'religious' muslim out of our area MERCI BEAUCOUP!!!
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34. 2008-07-23 13:58  
Bigotry happens not only in countries where muslim people are predominant. It happens everywhere.

Psychos like Yildiz's murderer(s) will kill with anything, not just with guns. Give them rope and they'll hang you, give them a pebble and they'll stone you, give them internet access and they'll spread even more hatred.

I've been planning to go to Turkey and now I don't know whether I'm still interested. RIP, Ahmet Yildiz.
Comment #35 was deleted by its author
36. 2008-07-23 14:02  
Not surprisingly, several comments jump to the conclusion that, because of this mad and horrible murder (the term "honour killing" i don't like either... it's a revolting oxymoron just like "holy war"), Turkey should not be allowed to join the European Union.

I strongly disagree for two reasons :

1. What about the Turkish people who are ALSO shocked by this murder, and disagree with such barbaric actions ? Why on earth should the EU tell THEM to get lost ? What about the gay Turkish people ? What would they gain from being ostracized ? It could only make their situation worse.

2. If Turkey joins the EU it will eventually have to adjust and even things up, especially on this kind of issue. If on the other hand they are rejected, it will only strengthen the fundamentalist streak which relies on rigid conservatism, nationalism, xenophobia and of course homophobia which - may I remind you angry doves - also exist in other EU countries anyway.

kazu (post#18) you say you are "tired of tolerance"... ok, what do you propose then... intolerance perhaps ? Isn't that what Ahmet's family's reaction was precisely based on ?

Oh, and guys.... before you make some violent response to my post as it so often happened before, would you please take the time to read it properly ? I write and re-write slowly and choose my words carefully so do me a favour, make sure you understand before you react and not the other way round. Thanks !
37. 2008-07-23 14:09  
I couldn't agree with you more, famousfeline (post #30) and I think you should not cancel your trip to Turkey, because people like A. Yildiz need people like you to visit his country.
38. 2008-07-23 17:19  
He is so young and handsome. such a waste!
39. 2008-07-23 23:06  
all I can say is ... honour killing is bullshit ...
40. 2008-07-24 00:45  
so sad, I hate the truth that there are still so many kind of discrimination in this world... I am so fortunate that my family are ok with me.... and most of my friends are ok too...
41. 2008-07-24 04:59  
rest in peace ahmet, you were brave one.
but i realy dissappointed what i saw in here. why the people like us talking about turkeys joining EU. i believe there is a racial issue people have in their mind. Eu is allways been racist and to be racist in future.
42. 2008-07-24 07:32  
A while ago, a gay magazine in Hamburg interviewed Turks who live or work in the gay-dominated St Georg quarter. Asked how they would react if they had a son who would confess to be gay more than one of the Turkish men said they would kill him.
Comment #43 was deleted by its author
44. 2008-07-24 08:59  
Tigerboy (post#36) could you use your brain when you write ?
Your sentence "EU has always been racist and always will be in the future" (pardon me for correcting the English) is the stupidest thing I've read so far in the comments about this sad event.

A certain number of people are racist, just like a certain number of people are homophobic. It doesn't mean that all humans are racist or homophobic, and it happens EVERYWHERE. It's a human problem, not a Turkish, European or Singaporean problem. Calling a whole country "racist" IS A RACIST REMARK, are you too dumb to see that ?

wolkenstein (post#37) what exactly is your intention in telling us about this gay magazine's enquiry ? are you trying to tell us that Turks in general are barbaric, retarded and bigoted ? Apparently you are German... do you need to be reminded what the nazi Germans did to gays during the war ? Did it mean that ALL Germans were nazi ? Does it also imply that Germany could never change, improve, and deal with her old demons ?

The murder in Turkey proves that barbarism, homophobia, bigotry and sheer stupidity are still alive and always ready to strike. Sadly a significant number of remarks RIGHT HERE IN THESE COMMENTS prove the very same point.
45. 2008-07-24 23:31  
My first reaction is that Turkey does not belong in the EU, but perhaps by joining the EU and taking on board our laws which protect civil liberties they may be dragged into the 21st Century. Enforcing these protective laws may be another battle.

But look how far Europe has come in 50 years. So maybe Turkey has to take some time to adapt to the new world too. And they are suppossed to be a secular nation.
46. 2008-07-25 04:16  
I refuse the term »honour killing«. People who kill members of their own family - women or men - have no honour whatsoever; they are vile, unnatural and revoltingly stupid, and they are simply murderers of the most vulgar type. They are hiding their own hypocrisy and prejudice behind religious and state authorities who are condoning with crime. I hope, Turkey will be able to develop a strong sense of acting up within gay and lesbian communities, getting support from international organizations. And I don't like to read wholesale sneering comments on Turkey as a country. As everywhere, there are wonderful and kind people living, who deserve our respect …
47. 2008-07-25 10:02  
THANKS to posts 39 and 40 !!! It's reassuring to see that sensible and intelligent comments are also coming up !
48. 2008-07-25 12:15  
Such barbarism in 2008 defies description. I who thought that the days of the Spanish Inquisition were far gone , was sure wrong. U have been sacrificed for a worthy cause Ahmet , and may u rest in peace. God bless.
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55. 2008-07-26 09:03  
Reading your first words, Ritchie, I can't help but notice that they rely on the unspoken yet widely spread assumption that barbarism is a thing of the past. Something that started with pithecanthropus and went on until the "Middle Ages", the Inquisition.... but that somehow "began to end" then and there.

In our minds we have this deeply, strongly rooted, innocent conviction that "modern times" go along with undeniable evolution, that "civilization" has progressed and that barbarism is... outdated.

The Inquisition was implemented by Pope Gregory IX in 1260 and, by the way, was meant for ALL of what was known at the time as "the Christian World", not only Spain.

If we examine what happened in the world since then, the result is appalling. Not only barbarism has not receded in the least but it may well be on the rise.

Examples ?

From the 13th to the 19th Century, the world was a bloodbath most of the time, and peace a precarious situation between wars. Humans tortured, condemned and killed one another with unfading enthusiasm, for political, religious, behavioural and you-name-it reasons.

Then came the 20th Century, the First World War which killed 20 million people, the Russian Revolution and the Gulags, the Mao era in China (around 50 million dead), the Second World War with the Nazi atrocities and the Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.. then, even closer to the present day, the massacres in Africa, in ex-Yugoslavia, the innumerable number of terrorist attacks of all origins and beliefs, the exactions and human-rights abuse perpetrated by the armies of the so-called "civilized" countries in their wars during decolonization, during the cold war and the fight against communism or nowadays against terrorism...

Sadly, barbarism in 2008 is alive and well, Ritchie, and if we don't acknowledge the fact then we can't even begin to address the problem.

Here are some nagging - and frigthening questions on the issue :

- Is barbarism something that each and everyone of us has inside his/her very essence as a human being ?

- If we agree that we have to get rid of that demon in us and it cannot be "surgically" removed, then can it somehow be subdued ? controlled ? deflected into activities which do not harm anyone ? If so, then how do we do that ?

- On a collective, ie social and political level, can anything be done about it ? Obviously there is a vicious collusion between political powers and individual barbarism. The latter is "released" in situations where the political leaders in place deliberately let hell break loose with a precise agenda in mind and then turn a blind eye on consequences and "collateral damage",

- If barbarism can be eradicated, then why have all societies, all religions, all philosophies and all political systems so far failed to eradicate it ?

Now here's a challenging task : take a group of 20 people from different origins, ages, convictions, and ask them to come up with a common definition of barbarism...
56. 2008-07-27 04:49  
I find some of the comments here disappointing.

Unlike Singapore and Malaysia, Gay sexual conduct between consenting adults in private is NOT a crime in Turkey. In Turkey, the age of consent for both heterosexual and homosexual sex is 18.

It is noteworthy that within living memory, gays along with disabled people, gypsies and Jews were exterminated in some European countries.

Unfortunately, violence against gay people happens in all countries. Anti-gay attacks continue to occur periodically in Australia, Europe, North America and Asia. Recently a young gay man was killed at while sitting in class at school in California -- because he was gay.

Turkey has been making great attempts to adopt progressive laws as it has sought to align itself with mainstream Europe. Rather than condemning the nation, it would be more helpful if greater efforts were made to embrace it. If some of the people who write here had actually spent any time in Turkey (I recently spent 6 months there), they would appreciate that in many areas of urban Turkey such as Istanbul and Ankara, there are very progressive forces and healthy gay communities.

We should be reaching out to them - not isolating them further.
57. 2008-07-28 16:01  
Dear All,

I fully agree with Yveserwan (post #31 and further).
Don't judge a whole nation or even a whole religion on mistakes (or even crimes, like this one) made by a single member!

And with AEJM (#post44):

We should be reaching out to them - not isolating them further.

Hugs
Kees
Comment #58 was deleted by its author
59. 2008-07-28 19:34  
Hello Kees and thanks for your support. I have never written so much here, actually... what got me started was the shocking lack of intelligence and tolerance in some of the posts. But then... gays don't have to be brighter, wiser or nicer than the average straight human being I guess :-))

Here's something that might make you laugh :

In the never ending debate about religion(s) I remember reading once that "human beings would be better off without religions" .My immediate thought was that in fact, it was quite the other way round, and religions would be a lot better off without human beings !
60. 2008-09-01 16:11  
The peer pressure that fundaMENTALism creates is crazy and evil - using religion, meant to be a good thing to justify indifferent murder is blasphemy!

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