04/08/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
LGBTI+ associations made a joint statement regarding the murder of trans woman Nida Nazlıer in Antalya: “The murderers are those who declared war on LGBTI+ people under the name of the ‘Year of the Family.’”
LGBTI+ associations made a joint statement regarding the murder of trans woman Nida Nazlıer, who lived in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya.
CLICK - Trans woman murdered in Antalya
“We know the murderers, we recognize them”
The associations stated: “This murder is the direct result of systematic transphobic hatred, fueled by the state, supported by the media, and reinforced by a policy of impunity. The investigation is ongoing. But we know the murderers, we recognize them!” and continued:
“The murderer is those who target us on TV screens.
The murderer is the politicians who spew hate speech by calling LGBTI+ people “perverse.”
The murderer is the judiciary that grants reduced sentences to those who say ‘I thought she was a woman, but he turned out to be a man.’
The murderer is everyone who has ignored LGBTI+ people in this country for years, who stayed silent when we were killed, and who poisoned our lives while we were alive.
The murderer is those who declared war on LGBTI+ people under the name of the “Year of the Family.”
The murderer is those who are preparing and presenting draft laws to the Parliament in an effort to criminalize LGBTI+ people.
Hate murders targeting trans women are state-backed, organized, and systematic massacres!”
Emphasis on the government's hate-filled rhetoric
The associations, reminding that the government’s rhetoric targeting LGBTI+ people for years has made it impossible for trans women to survive on the street, at home, at work, everywhere, also pointed to the incident in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, where trans women were taken to the police station under the label of “GBT” (ID check):
“On August 1st in Istanbul, trans women were taken to the police station under the pretext of a “GBT” check; their names were recorded, and videos were taken. The trans women, who were held in the police station’s yard for about an hour, repeatedly asked but were not told why they had been taken there; they were pressured to turn off their phones. Trans women living in Beyoğlu have recently been fined under the pretext of the Misdemeanor Law, and their homes have been searched.”
A call to the state, the media, and society
The joint statement emphasized that the rights of trans people, including the right to life, are violated every day. The associations stated, “Failing to apprehend perpetrators after murders, not conducting effective investigations, or not imposing deterrent punishments is complicity in the crime,” recalling the murders of İrem Okan, Hande Kader, Mira Güneş, and Hande Buse Şeker.
The associations then addressed the public as follows:
“We demand an effective investigation into this transphobic hate murder committed in Antalya, the prosecution of the perpetrators, and that impunity not be rewarded.
We call on the state to uphold human rights, equality, and life—not hate policies.
We invite the media to avoid language that normalizes or sensationalizes murders and to report on trans women with language that respects human dignity.
We call on society to recognize that silence is complicity in murder, to raise their voices, and to strengthen solidarity.
We are not afraid, we do not remain silent, we do not get used to this.
We are growing our struggle against transphobic murders.”
The full text of the statement:
Trans murders are political, we demand justice for Nida Nazlıer!
Nida Nazlıer, a trans woman living in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya, was found murdered in her home. This murder is the direct result of systematic transphobic hatred fueled by the state, supported by the media, and reinforced by a policy of impunity.
The investigation is ongoing. But we know the murderers, we recognize them!
The murderer is those who target us on TV screens.
The murderer is the politicians who spew hate speech by calling LGBTI+ people “perverse.”
The murderer is the judiciary that grants reduced sentences to those who say, “I thought she was a woman, but he turned out to be a man.”
The murderer is everyone who has ignored LGBTI+ people in this country for years, who stayed silent when we were killed, and who poisoned our lives while we were alive.
The murderer is those who declared war on LGBTI+ people under the name of the “Year of the Family.”
The murderer is those who are preparing and presenting draft laws to Parliament to criminalize LGBTI+ people.
Hate murders targeting trans women are state-backed, organized, and systematic massacres!
The government’s rhetoric, which has targeted LGBTI+ people for years, makes it impossible for trans women to survive on the street, at home, at work—everywhere.
Just yesterday in Istanbul, trans women were taken to the police station under the pretext of a “GBT” check; their names were recorded, and videos were taken. The trans women, who were held in the police station’s yard for about an hour, repeatedly asked but were not told why they had been taken there; they were pressured to turn off their phones. Trans women living in Beyoğlu have recently been fined under the pretext of the Misdemeanor Law, and their homes have been searched.
The rights of trans people, including the right to life, are violated every day.
Failing to apprehend perpetrators after murders, not conducting effective investigations, or not imposing deterrent punishments is complicity in the crime.
Those who turned a deaf ear to Melek Okan’s cry—“They couldn’t fit my child into this vast world”—and those who remained silent about Hande Kader’s murder, despite her saying, “You’re filming, but not publishing,” are also complicit in this murder.
In this country, trans women are expected to live in constant fear, like “a nervous pigeon.” This fear forced Hande Buse Şeker to install cameras in her home—we haven’t forgotten! Despite the cameras, we also haven’t forgotten the insufficient punishment the murderer received…
We haven’t forgotten the murderer who, after killing Mira Güneş, went to a wedding in her car!
We will continue our struggle against the normalization of hate murders and impunity.
Here, we address all members of the public:
We demand an effective investigation into this transphobic hate murder committed in Antalya, the prosecution of the perpetrators, and that impunity not be rewarded.
We call on the state to uphold human rights, equality, and life—not hate policies.
We invite the media to avoid language that normalizes or sensationalizes murders and to report on trans women with language that respects human dignity.
We call on society to recognize that silence is complicity in murder, to raise their voices, and to strengthen solidarity.
We are not afraid, we do not remain silent, we do not get used to this.
We are growing our struggle against transphobic murders.
Long live life in defiance of hate!
Trans murders are political!
Trans rights are human rights!
Tags: human rights, women, life, family, trans, lgbti
