The November 20 Association for Combating Hate Crimes has released a statement addressing increasing police pressure on trans women living in the Alsancak neighborhood of İzmir’s Konak district.
The association reports that, over the past two months, trans women have been regularly subject to identity checks and fined by police. They allege that authorities have used these women’s personal information arbitrarily and filed reports falsely claiming that they had been on streets they had not even passed through.
Alsancak, particularly Bornova Street, has long been a significant place for trans women, serving as a refuge and a space for solidarity. Since the 1980s, trans women have gathered on this street to create community and provide mutual support. The street also holds a unique significance for Turkey’s LGBTI+ movement.
The association’s statement reads as follows:
We stand in solidarity with the trans women who have lived in Alsancak since the 1980s. We will exercise our legal rights in the face of these injustices, and we call on the public for support.
Police pressure in Alsancak continues arbitrarily and unlawfully, with unauthorized actions taken regarding the homes where trans women reside. Law enforcement has been taking trans women to the police station for questioning without reason, using various means of intimidation to obtain statements.
The homes of our friends are being criminalized and labeled under false pretenses. Law enforcement personnel are specifically targeting the homes of trans women around Bornova Street and its surroundings. Instead of addressing actual criminal activity on these streets, police are stationed outside trans women’s homes, exposing their living spaces.
We are all aware that various illegal activities occur in Alsancak, yet law enforcement takes no action against these. Especially concerning is the reluctance of authorities to take statements from trans women who are victims of assault, harassment, or violence. While their homes are targeted, they are subjected to unlawful pressure, facing arbitrary questioning.
As we have supported the trans women residing on Bornova Street in Alsancak since the 1980s, we continue to stand in solidarity today. We see and recognize the injustices being committed. We assert our legal rights and will not step back. We are committed to following this process every step of the way. We share these injustices inflicted on our friends due to their identities with the public and ask for your support and solidarity.
