An investigation is being demanded into a police attack on five transgender activists in Turkey, on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Witnesses say the Pink Life Association members were violently forced out of their private car in Ankara, then kicked and beaten with truncheons. Police officers are also accused of kicking and using pepper spray on a crowd of human rights defenders, who attempted to protect the five activists. The bloodied arrestees were then forcibly taken to the Esat police station, where they were held in custody overnight. The European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights says it strongly condemns the attacks and will seek to include mentions of the breaches of human rights by authorities in accession talks between the European Union and Turkey. Co-president Ulrike Lunacek says like homophobia, transphobia is not acceptable anywhere. "Be it inside or outside the European Union. We call for a serious investigation into these acts, and their outright condemnation by police authorities." Co-president Michael Cashman questions how Turkey can claim to be a true democracy if police forces disregard the rule of law, and attack those it must protect. "We call on Turkish authorities to reprimand these police officers, and clearly affirm that LGBT people, and in particular transgender people, must be protected from violence."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 19th May 2010 - 12:26pm