Source: Attached.

Grand National Assembly of Turkey

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)

Group Presidency

No: 482

Date: 10.07.2014

TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TURKEY

I respectfully request the Ministry of Justice Bekir BOZDAĞ to respond to the questions below in writing in accordance with the 98th bylaw of the Constitution and the 96th bylaw of the Standing Orders.

Pervin BULDAN

HDP Group Deputy Chairman

Member of Parliament for Iğdır

 

On 2 July 2014, 17-year-old successful sports player and trans man dubbed ‘Efe Özyavuz’ by the public and the media, and who named himself Okyanus, ended his life.

As the words Okyanus shared on his social media account about his suicide clearly demonstrate: suicide is a valid concept that is experienced by all individuals who have different sexual orientations and who are the focus of hate speech due to their preferred sexual orientations.

LBGT individuals live out their lives in the clamp of violence created by the state and society’s pressure. In fact, hate speech and the violence created by these discourses and pressure is ignored and violence is seen as suitable for LBGT individuals. Every mechanism from laws to social norms clearly and openly seize LBGT individuals “right to life” as seen in this event.

In this way,

1. Has your ministry led any efforts on the event of this death and its causes? If not, what is the reason?

2. Do you think that the violence LBGT people are exposed to and its results are caused by the penal laws and the negative attitudes of police and legal mechanisms? Do you think the results that are caused by the laws and its practitioners constitute “violations of the right to life”?

3. Are legal efforts regarding hate crimes on your agenda? If so, what is the scope?

4. Are you considering any arrangements on hate crimes committed against LBGT individuals who are the focus of hate speech and who are not protected by any laws?

5. What are the rates of LBGT individuals, who are increasingly the focus of hate speech and violence, applying to judicial mechanisms?

6. What is the number of people who have been tried and punished for attacking LBGT individuals?

7. What is the reason behind the fact that there are no effective trials in events of violence against LBGT individuals?

HDP Question to Ministry of Justice