The body of a homosexual Syrian refugee was found in an Istanbul neighborhood, mutilated and decapitated, two days after disappearing in the city center, a local human rights group said.
+Another victim of LGBTphobia – Transvestite is beaten to death in Luís Eduardo Magalhães
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Muhammed Wisam Sankari disappeared on July 23 after leaving his home in the conservative district of Fatih, reported the group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL).
So far, the crime has not been covered by the mainstream press, but rather by some left-wing publications that cite Kaos GL, and there is still no official confirmation that it was a murder because of his sexual orientation.
The association claims that the mutilated and decapitated body was found on July 25 in Yenikapi, in the same district.
He had arrived in Istanbul a year ago fleeing the war in his country, but wanted to leave because he feared for his life, after groups of armed men threatened him.
The body was so stabbed that it could only be recognized by the pants Wisam was wearing.
According to the NGO, he was stabbed so violently that two knives broke. The internal organs were on display.
The Syrian had already been kidnapped and raped five months before his death, said one of his companions.
"They were going to kill him, but he saved himself by jumping out of the moving car. He reported the case to the police, but nothing came of it," said the friend.
The source added that they suffered a lot persecution for being gay.
A homosexuality was legal in Türkiye during the republic period, but homosexuals in the country regularly report that they suffer abuse and persecution in a predominantly Muslim and conservative society.
