Anonymous comments are subject to capricious deletion.
This is a tragic death. My heart goes out to his friends.
Another gay martyr killed for trying to be himself. A bright hopeful future viciously murdered by a jealous desparate past. Sick making.
From the same people that brought you the Armenian genocide. Let the press laugh that off.
Kind of hard to be judgmental when our own country has such a glorious past and present of anti-gay violence.
The U.S. had 21 reported murders last year that were categorized as anti-gay hate crimes:
http://www.dallasvoice.com/
artma...rticle_9007.php
This number is double that of 2006. (Which may, of course, be merely a statistically anomaly.)
Not a great start to a Monday - with all the strides we make here it's a grim reminder that we are nowhere near where we need to be.
Holy FSM.... :-( My blood boils with anger.
That is a sweet picture of him at the Coit Tower in front of the Christopher Columbus statue (if my memory serves correctly).
I doubt it was the country's "FIRST gay honor killing." RIP.
Sad...
@ Jfc...yup, that's Coit/Telegraph Hill
beautiful spot/view
just like the young man
Men applying for an exemption to obligatory military service on grounds of homosexuality must provide proof – either in the form of an anal examination, or photographs.
WTF?
Sad story. My condolescences to his friends and family members.
I agree, Osman, but let's hope it'll be the first to be taken seriously.
Tragically, after the fact, but still.
Oh, and the university I work at is about to embark on a whole year focusing on Turkey. I wonder if they'll have the balls to mention this kind of fascism since a lot of what they're doing is being supported by the Turkish government.
I cannot quite wrap my brain around this yet. So sad...handsome, young guy with a future. Unfathomable. My heart breaks for his friends and family.
"honour-related murder".
Can one think of a more morally bankrupt phrase?
Horrific and senseless.
I will never be able to wrap my head around the concept of "honor" killing. This is just so horribly sad.
...another tragedy. :-( It's not easy hearing about this kind of stuff, but at the same time it empowers us to continue to live out. I wouldn't ever want this death, or any death for that matter, to be in vain.
www.fabulouslyinthecity.com
So completely heartbreaking.
religion is always in the midst of war and violence.
does turkey have laws to prosecute this crime, or does the legal system excuse it? when will these stupid religious morons realise that sexuality cannot be "cured" by therapies and drugs?
horrifying.
Heartbreaking and horrifying.
There is a shirtless picture of Ahmet over on Towleroad.com (they give Joe credit for using his shot as well).
Ahmet was a beautiful man. This tragedy was beyond comprehension.
These uncivilized countries..Turkey..Poland should be denied the benefits of European Union membership until they clean up their acts.
Also, immigrants that are involved in criminal activities, or bias crimes should be deported immediately, and they can take their families with them. That goes for the U.S. as well.
Their immigration status should be considered provisional for 5 to 10 years.
There may come a point where we must take up arms and strike back with the same force and conviction.
i agree with the comment regarding EU membership. i thought membership was one of the carrots to force prospective member nations to update their laws, etc?
i was surprised how sad i was when i read about his murder, and how fortunate i feel about not having to face this level of hatred and fear and narrow mindedness (i mean, Canada's not perfect in this regard, but at least we keep up the pretence of separation of church and state, and have laws to protect me).
There's no honor in murder, whether it's by Turks, Iranians, or Americans.
My condolences to his friends... if this is truly a family killing, may they be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Tragic. Just tragic.
I could just throw up. How horrible is this???
Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, and RIP.
Another example of a good life extinguished, and the thugs who did it go free, breed, and pass their hate on to a new generation.
My sincerest condolences to his family.
Ahhh look he was quite a Turkish Bear here
Damn this is... Upsetting! 
This is terrible but from what i read there is not one shred of evidence implicating the family. It may be true but NO PROOF PEOPLE. NOTHING. I do not feel any better saying that his family is responsible when i do not know that for a fact and we can make that assumption but it serves no one and no one benefits. Sorry if i sound cold but there is nothing that can be done about this. People should have access to asylum and that is the path we should all be fighting on behalf of. We are dealing with people who want to investigate the assholes of gay men. That leaves out tops altogether. Gay people need a way out of there and that should be our only focus.
True there is no proof his family was involved. But even if you ignore that possibility, it is still terribly sad when a gay person dies (let alone is killed!) and their family wants nothing to do with them. I had an ex die of cancer and his family didn't even show up for the funeral.
I agree Alex but how does one prove the guilt of those responsible?
I am just back from Istanbul and I am shocked and saddened to read this. I was there with my partner and we met group of guys (straight, sadly) who know exactly who we were and didn't care.
What a tragedy.
How utterly senseless. How sad. Such a waste.
Tragic and terrifying.
As commenter David said above:
There may come a point where we must take up arms and strike back with the same force and conviction.
David | 07.21.08 - 10:57 am | #
I agree, and that day may be coming closer. Are we not essentially of the American tradition? Have we stopped defending to the death our liberties? Something tells me that in the privacy of American homes, there are small groups of American gay men and women who are on the verge of taking up arms to end this nonsense. I hope to God that none of them invite me to their planning sessions. I'm older and comfortable and I've never held a gun, but if asked to participate, I will be conscience bound, as an American steeped in the revolutionary tradition, to do so. It is perfectly clear to me where my obligations as a citizen lie in this matter.
What a sweet looking guy, and what a tragedy!
I know that boycotts can be somewhat sterile gestures, but what immediately comes to my mind is that Atlantis Cruises (all-gay cruises, for those who may not know) includes Istanbul as one of its Mediterranean ports of call. If they cancelled that part of the trip, I wonder if Turkish authorities would feel impelled to take action.
2 Visitors Online
Commenting by HaloScan
