SPoD’s office was attacked

27/06/2018 | Writer: Yıldız Tar

​Four people attacked the SPOD office and punched the door yesterday evening.

Four people attacked the SPOD office and punched the door yesterday evening. People who was helding a meeting at the moment called the police. SPoD reported the attackers to the police.

Yesterday evening (26th June), four people attacked the Social Policies, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) office in Beyoğlu, İstanbul.

While attackers were punching the office door and threatening the office staff with death, one of them claimed that the association “deforces his child”. Office members and volunteers who were in a meeting at the moment called the police.

While attackers were at the door, police didn’t intervene

Even after arriving the SPoD’s building, police forces did not intervene in the situation.

Marsel from SPoD told the incident to KaosGL.org:

“I came to the Office after I heard the incident from my colleagues. While I was trying to talk to police officers, two of the attackers also attacked me and tried to punched me. I run into the building, and they came after me. However, while all of these were happening, police said that they cannot intervene they are waiting for additional team. Then they came to office door and asked to make a search in the building. We asked for a search permission but their answer was so though like ‘we can get this permission and break the door’.” 

SPoD reported the attackers to police

When they heard the incident, Lawyer Hayriye Kara from Kaos GL and LGBTI+ human rights defender and Lawyer Levent Pişkin went to the place. After making sure that the person claimed to be deforced by the association is not in the building, police took the attackers to Beyoğlu police station.

People who were in the Office during the attack also went to police station to report the attackers.

Translation: Damla Umut Uzun

Tags: human rights