Transsexual woman murdered in Istanbul in latest homophobic attack

ISTANBUL

Nalan was transferred to the Şişli Etfal Hospital with serious injuries.

A transsexual woman was killed and a friend was wounded when unknown people opened fire at a house in Istanbul’s Tarlabaşı neighborhood, in the latest episode of violence to hit Turkey’s LGBTI community.Çağla Joker, 25, and her friend, 45-year-old Nalan, were attacked on early April 22 by two assailants at the address on Daracık Street.Police and paramedics immediately arrived at the scene after neighbors called police when they heard gunshots.Joker died at scene, while Nalan was transferred to the nearby Şişli Etfal Hospital with serious injuries.Police have launched an operation to capture the assailants who fled the scene after the incident.Joker’s body has been taken to a state medical examiner for an autopsy. The motive for the attack remains unclear, but there are strong suspicions that the murder was a hate crime against the LGBTI community.People answered calls issued on social media to gather on Daracık Street at 12 p.m. on April 22 to protest the murder.