Source: Burcu Karakaş, “İntihara teşebbüs ettim,” (“I Attempted Suicide,”) milliyet, 02 March 2014, http://gundem.milliyet.com.tr/-intihara-tesebbus-ettim-/gundem/detay/1845217/default.htm?ref=OtherNews
I attempted suicide
A homosexual police officer in Gaziantep was fired due to being charged with the crime of “unchastity.” The police officer applied to the Administrative Court for the annulment of the decision but was rejected. He said, “I went through a huge trauma. I attempted suicide. The judges decide according to their own moral rules. According to them, we do not even have the right to life.”
A homosexual police officer’s life has changed when the Morality Desk raided his friend’s house in Gaziantep. The officer was taking food to his friend. After an unidentified person’s tip-off, the police officer, who chose to remain anonymous, and his friend were obliged to go with the officers from the Morality Desk to the police department and to give their statements.
Even if he is off-duty
The High Discipline Board of the Police Department claimed that the aforementioned police officer “maintained his friendship with a person who he knew to be a bisexual in his private life off-duty but when he had the responsibility of duty, shared his house, used this house for sexual reasons, hiding his status from his sexual partner while knowing that he carried the HIV virus.” The Board ruled that the officer committed the crime of “Acting and behaving off duty in ways that would betray the respect and trust of his official title.” With this decision, it was suggested that the police officer be given a 6-month suspension of duty. After the verdict of non-prosecution, the officer returned to duty but was soon after given an official document of expulsion from the profession.
Admit that you are gay!
The 41-year-old police officer explained his situation to Milliyet:
“They wrote a fake notice. I took food to my friend that night. The doorbell rang after I had been there for 15-20 minutes. When I answered the door, I recognized the civil police and knew that they had come from the Morality Office. They asked “Who is the homeowner?” and my friend came. They asked for our IDs. When I told them I am a police officer and asked them why they came, they could not answer. We went to the Morality Desk. The chief called me and said, “Do you know what your friend is? He is a homosexual. And you are friends with him.”
“Whatever he is, he is my friend. His private life concerns only him,” I said. I was suspended the same night. I went through a huge trauma, I attempted suicide. Then the detectives called me. One of them said, “This is how you were born, there is nothing to do about it. Admit that you are gay and we will punish you based on negative behaviors.” I accepted and they decided on non-prosecution. I returned to duty after a month. After working for a year, I was expelled from the profession.” The complainant will apply to the Council of State to appeal the decision.