LGBTI+ groups demand investigation into suspicious death of trans prisoner
LGBTI+ and women's rights organizations have called for a full investigation into the suspicious death of a trans man named Poyraz, who died on Dec 1 while in custody at Sincan Women’s Closed Prison in Ankara.
The groups organized press conferences yesterday in several cities, including İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Mersin, and Aydın, emphasizing that the death should not be dismissed as a suicide without thorough investigation.
Activists also called for an end to solitary confinement and discriminatory treatment of trans prisoners.
Suspicion surrounding the incident
According to KaosGL, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University’s LGBTI+ student group, Kuir Baykuş, stated, “Based on public information, trans man prisoner Poyraz was found dead under suspicious circumstances in his ward at the Ankara Sincan Penal Institution Campus on Dec 1, 2025.”
The group cited accounts from other trans inmates and their lawyers, claiming that shortly before the incident, four trans prisoners were sent together for psychiatric evaluation for the first time. During this period, Poyraz was reportedly moved into their ward. Upon returning, the prisoners allegedly found Poyraz hanging.
They said medical personnel did not respond for a long time, and prosecutors and crime scene investigators only arrived two days later. No witness statements were taken, they added.
“In addition, it is claimed that the rope used in the hanging had not previously been present in the ward, that Poyraz’s head had been shaved, and that he had recently lost a noticeable amount of weight,” the group said. “These reports make it unacceptable for the incident to be dismissed as suicide.”
Trans prisoner Buse still in men's prison despite completing gender affirmation surgery
(TY/VK)