
May 8, 2014. Beyoğlu Chief of Police: Wait and See What Else I Will Shut Down
Daracık Street in the Beyoğlu District of Istanbul, where a trans individual was murdered two weeks ago, is once again in the spotlight; this time due to claims of forcible “shut-downs.” Istanbul Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transvestite Transsexual Solidarity Association (Istanbul LGBTT) has claimed that building doors in the street where trans individuals were staying have been welded shut. Beyoğlu District Chief of Police, Ünal Altıner, has denied the claim; whereas Director of Municipal Police, Ahmet Öztürk, disclosed that the Beyoğlu Police already had a request for unoccupied buildings to be closed down and that they were acting on that request.
May 8, 2014. Fighting Against Discrimination in Mersin
The Platform for Fighting Against Discrimination was established in Mersin with the support of 19 organizations. Hüseyin Aslan, a member of the board of directors for Akdeniz Göç-Der (Mediterranean Association for Migration) held a press conference at the Mersin Journalists Association and explained that the Platform for Fighting Against Discrimination will be the voice of those individuals who are defenseless in the face of discrimination.
May 8, 2014. Avşa’s Letter: Transsexuals and Turkish Prisons
Avşa, the trans inmate, has been exposed to abuses, ill treatments, harassments and rapes in prisons for years. She was brave to report these violations of rights to authorities by criminal complaints many times, but this only increased threats and attacks against her. Avşa wrote a letter to our organization (Civil Society in the Penal System Foundation – CISST) about what she has been through.
May 8, 2014. Women’s Organization at Kocaeli University: 'Our booth is beautiful, why don’t you come?'
We have very good news for you. We turned our two-year-old group Kocaeli University Bread and Roses into a workshop. In other words, we formed the Kocaeli University Bread and Roses Women Studies Workshop!
May 9, 2014. Trans Inmate Funda’s Letter on Prisons in Turkey
Funda, a trans prisoner incarcerated for the past ten years, describes her experiences in various prisons. Corresponding with the Civil Society in the Penal System Foundation, Funda testifies about the early years of her sentence and says that she will continue her story in her letters to come.
Published on May 29, 2014 | OutRight Action International an LGBT human rights organization