Gruesome murder of trans woman in Istanbul triggers protests

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in central Istanbul to protest the murder of a trans woman whose badly burned corpse was discovered last week.

The body of Hande Kader, a queer rights activist and a sex worker, was found in a forest in Istanbul’s high-end Zekeriyakoy neighbourhood on August 8.

Kader was last seen getting into a car with a client in the city’s Harbiye district in late July, according to Turkish daily Sabah. The 22-year-old’s body was believed to have been heavily mutilated before her corpse was set on fire, possibly to avoid identification of the perpetrator or perpetrators.

No arrests have yet been made in Kader’s case.

This tragic event has sparked activists throughout Istanbul to protest the murder and demand action be taken to locate her murderers.

More than 200 demonstrators carried banners saying “Justice for Hande Kader” and “Let’s fight for our survival” under the supervision of anti-riot police close to the famous Istiklal Avenue near Taksim Square on Sunday. Police stood by with water cannons as demonstrators, including members of the opposition party in parliament, called for justice in the case.

“We will not stop until we find those responsible for Hande Kader’s murder,” Ebru Kiranci, spokeswoman for Istanbul’s LGBTI Solidarity Association, said.

“Justice for Hande,
justice for everyone”

March for #HandeKader and LGBT rights in #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/lVCLw4F3GA

— MineParis81 (@MineParis81) August 21, 2016

In a report published in March this year, the rights group Transgender Europe said Turkey had the highest rate of trans murders in Europe. Between January 2008 and December 2015, 41 trans and gender-diverse individuals were killed in Turkey. According to the report the US has a reported 141 murders in that time frame, making us the third highest behind Brazil’s 845 murders and Mexico’s 247 murders.

Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey throughout the period of the modern republic and was also legalised in the Ottoman Empire from the mid-19th century. But LGBTI individuals in Turkey regularly complain of harassment and abuse in a largely conservative Muslim society where open displays of same-sex love are strongly frowned upon.