Transsexuals Complain at Prime Ministry about Police Violence

Members of the Pink Life LGBTT Association handed a petition to the Human Rights Presidency of the Prime Ministry considering grievances in the "Act on Misdemeanour". According to this law arbitrary police fines for transvestites and transsexuals have been abolished. The petition draws attention to the fact that nevertheless, the police goes to their houses with orders of confiscation and fines, arbitrarily arrests and detains transvestites and transsexuals and closes down their homes.

Supporters of the Pink Life LGBTT Association gathered on Ankara's popular Yüksel Avenue before they submitted their petition on 23 October. In the petition they asked, "How much longer will the injustice against us continue, which is acted out by the police force of the Ankara Public Security branch staff, the Esat Police Station, the Kavaklıdere Police Station, the Anafartalar Police Station and the Karşıyaka Police Station? How many more of our homes will be closed by the Ankara Governorship?"

Demands: stop violence and arbitrary applications

The transvestites and transsexuals participating in the protest had printed their demands on the t-shirts they were wearing, including slogans such as "Get your hands off my body, police", "'transphobia' kills", "We want work" and "Stop Misdemeanour Law".

Participant Buse Kılıçkaya read from the petition, "As citizens we cannot benefit from any civil rights because of the pressure applied by the state politics. Every day we are being exposed to more violation of rights".

Furthermore, the petition mentions violations like police raids at houses of transvestites and transsexuals, arbitrary police applications, fines under the pretence of the Misdemeanour Law, arbitrary arrests and violence.

Police tried to prevent submission of the petition

After the group had read out their demands, they wanted to walk to the Prime Ministry to submit their petition. As reported to bianet by Kaos GL spokesman Barış Sulu, the police tried to prevent the group from entering the Prime Ministry by setting up barricades.

Later on Pink Life members Kılıçkaya, Fulden Aras and Sevgi Yıldırım entered the Prime Ministry as representatives of the association and went to Human Rights Chairman Mehmet Yılmaz Küçük's office. In the meantime Küçük had agreed that the group could come one by one to hand in their demands. However, the police did not allow this for some more time.

Finally, the participants of the protest were allowed to go to Küçük's office in groups of five to hand in their requests.

* LGBTT: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite and transsexual.