A father accused of murdering his gay son in what has been termed in the media as an "honour killing" was tried in absentia at the Üsküdar Courthouse in Istanbul yesterday.
Ahmet Yildiz (left) and his German-Turkish boyfriend Ibrahim Can.
According to Bianet, an independent Turkish news network, Yahya Yildiz, 49 - who is on the run and is being tried in absentia - is accused of shooting his 26-year-old son Ahmet in June 2008 after the latter told him about his relationship with a man from Cologne in Germany.
Ahmet Yıldız, a student at the Department of Physics at Marmara University, was shot dead in Üsküdar (a district of Istanbul on the Anatolian side) on 15 July 2008.
The victim’s father is also charged with buying unlicensed firearms with ammunition, carrying and possessing them, premeditatedly killing of people and injuring close relatives.
Bianet quoted the victim’s German-Turkish boyfriend, Ibrahim Can, as saying that prior to the incident, the victim had mentioned that members of his family might kill him because of his homosexuality.
“One year before Yıldız had told his family that he was gay. He had been threatened by his father and other family members.”
The second hearing of the case is scheduled for 23 December.
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Reader's Comments
Honor my ass.
However, for a father to do such an act simply shows one thing. There are those who would put their culture (be warned, its not a religious issue) ahead of their own flesh and blood.
That, again, to put it mild and least expletive, is even more disturbing.
i guess it could be a lesson for the gays. think carefully before you come out to family. sometimes it's war, and they have to be taken seriously as enemy. in that case being in the dark is an advantage. sometimes it's wiser to just smother them with a pillow at night.
sure enough, one must at least got the earning ability, if still depend on family, pls don't run reverse acrimoniously against family members.
in this case, if the son insist pursue his love, pls disown himself from home because after one year still, his father cannot accept this truth.
respect our right as well as others.
How to Tell Your Parents You’re Gay
http://www.advocate.com/article.aspx?id=98315
I guess I should take it seriously when my own dad told me he'll disown me if he finds out that I am gay. Not sure if he'll end my life like that cowardly Turkish father if I told him on me being gay but it was already a drama since he asked me to get out of the family for choosing a religion different from his own (he gave in to reconciliation after more than 6 months). I dare not say that that threat of expulsion or any other threats will not materialise.
An excerpt from the Venerable Ajahn Brahmavamso, Abbot and Spiritual Director of Bodhinyana Monastery and a few more related ones in Western Australia spoke during the Global Buddhist Conference 2000 in Singapore: http://heartlandsg.org/2006/12/30/homosexuality-and-other-forms-of-queerness-excerpt-from-ajahn-brahm/
"And if anyone has a son or daughter or friend who is a homosexual, and as far as the precepts are concern, there is nothing wrong. As far as karma is concern, it depends on how you are homosexual, not that they are homosexuals and please do not be afraid of them. Please look at them with Buddhist compassion and understanding, and please know how hard it is to be a homosexual in today’s world, in some places, where they are not understood, where they are looked upon with fear. And Buddhist compassion must be able to accept them for who they are and encourage them, if they are going to be a homosexual, be a compassionate, be a kind and be a moral homosexual."
Q. "How do we help those people with homophobia to overcome their fears, especially parents of gay sons or daughters?"
A. "From my own experience, I learned to overcome those fears by meeting with gay people and to get to know them and be friends with them. And please, you don’t have to be gay to be friend to a gay person! And as such you can learn from their experiences.
And as to how we can help parents to understand gays, I remember some time ago, one parent was very upset that their son was gay and came to me for advice. And I told them: “When you chant loving kindness (in the Theravada tradition), you would say, “May all beings be happy and well. May all beings be free from suffering.” Isn’t your son one of those beings? Why do you distinguish people who are gay, and you hate your son, but would give love to animals and cows and be a vegetarian? Surely, you can extend your loving kindness to all beings, including your son?"
all gays should be Atheiets
beeing gay is the opposite of treligions hate
it is gay love . we are naturally gay
religions are hammered into the gead of kids
religions are lies and hate
stop all religions NOW
The honorable thing for the father would be kill himself after committing such a heinous act.
If the society can protect animals from abused, then what about men who has genuine love for men?
Why can't the society accept what is natural?
If i were to have sex with a woman, that would be unnatural. What's more, i bring sorrows and hurt her.
So, what is the rightful thing to do?
Life is an honor not death.This man is sick and needs to get some psychological treatment to get a recovery and then sentenced to death when he has realized his own sin before die
when he gets his ass in to jail,
he would sure be honoured ..
xx
i heard this story last year very hard become gay
in a moslim country even Turkey look like modern
people is same i think many story like AHMET YILDIZ
but noone know i'm lucky i live in Australia
Gays, and especially those who live in places under higher influence of fundamentalism, should always get informed about the developments in gay-bashing behavior in their societies and countries via the Internet. They should be economically and mentally prepared to become independent as early in life as possible. They should be decisive to walk out of their home and even migrate to a more liberal country to seek better economic opportunities once they sense hostility from their family.
We need a worldwide Gay Empowerment Movement to drive this development, and the leading gay media, Fridae included, could play a pivotal role. A few key skills are critical. First, command of the English language. Second, an internationally recognised qualification in a profession that is highly demanded. Third, practice safer sex so that one remains HIV-negative. Fourth, some savings, a few thousands US$ would do, in hard currency.
If things turn bad, simply walk out of one's home, and find a reason to get out of the country if necessary. This victim could have fled his home and Turkey for a EU member-nation such as the U.K. once he sensed the hostility from his family. If he had prepared well in advance, he could have also gotten a job somewhere in the EU.
I have known a few friends whose home country is under dictatorship. These intelligent individuals had prepared to flee their country during their early 20s. First, they worked hard on their English and got connected to the world by visiting the few approved cybercafe in their town. Next, they worked in an MNC (eg. hotel) where they could earn their salary in a hard currency (eg. US$). They also obtained an internationally recognised qualification such as LCCI in Accounting. Once they had enough savings, they flew to Singapore to find a job.
I think we could introduce this model to more gays who are still suffering under a dictator or in an anti-gay society so that they may plan their way out of their misery. Life is short. I sympathise with the victim. If he had been more decisive and well-prepared, he could well be enjoying a better life with his BF in Europe today.
enough from me..too spechless to comment more :(
The victim's father's value system weighs 'face' more highly than biological relation, law and the right an another human being to survive. His face, to to this worse-than-beasts murderer, is more important than these. If a person is gay, he does not have the right to exist on the surface of Earth. If a person is gay, he does not deserve his own parents' love. If a person is gay, he does not deserve to enjoy legal protection from the state. This is the murderer's value system.
Its indeed shocking that the poor chap's own father could have the heart to kill his own son..:(
I dont understand why the belief which is unassessable and unprovable can surpass the relationship which should have been very close?
The original purpose of any religion aimed to make people believe all the merits of the humam and the world, right?
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