28/10/2009 | Writer: KAOS GL
October 26, 2009
BIA News Center
About 80 people gathered in Ankara upon the call of the Pink Life Transgender Association. Despite police resistance they managed to hand their petition for redress to the Human Rights Presidency of the Prime Ministry. The petition is concerned with police violence against transvestites and transsexuals and rights violations occurring in the Act on Misdemeanour.
Supporters of the Pink Life LGBTT Association gathered on Ankara's popular Yuksel 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 Kavaklidere Police Station, the Anafartalar Police Station and the Karsiyaka 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 Kilickaya 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 Baris Sulu, the police tried to prevent the group from entering the Prime Ministry by setting up barricades.
Later on Pink Life members Kilickaya, Fulden Aras and Sevgi Yildirim entered the Prime Ministry as representatives of the association and went to Human Rights Chairman Mehmet Yilmaz Kucuk's office. In the meantime Kucuk 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 Kucuk's office in groups of five to hand in their requests.
Original Link of this News Article: "Transsexuals Complain at Prime Ministry about Police Violence"
Tags: human rights
