Ahmet Yıldız was just 26 years old when he was shot dead on 15 July 2008, in what has been widely regarded by Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) rights activists as a gay “honour” killing. Seven years on, his killer or killers are still at large and the lack of progress in bringing about justice is viewed by LGBTI organizations in Turkey as an indictment of the lack of protection of LGBTI individuals and a symbol of impunity for homophobic violence.
Speaking to Amnesty International on the eve of the anniversary of Ahmet Yıldız’ murder, his partner Ibrahim Can said: ‘How can the Turkish state that boasts of its position as an important world power, a powerful state, be so incapable of apprehending Ahmet’s killers? Is the Turkish state so impotent, so incapable of bringing his killers to justice? This case highlights how victims of homophobia and homophobic violence are treated: as undeserving of justice and unequal in the front of the law.’