Gay Syrian man mutilated, beheaded in Istanbul: Association

ANKARA – Agence France-Presse



Muhammed Wisam Sankari went missing on July 23 after leaving his home in the Fatih district, Turkish gay rights group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL) reported on Aug. 3.

On July 25 his body was found mutilated and decapitated, the association said.



He arrived in Istanbul a year ago after fleeing Syria’s civil war but wanted to leave Turkey because he feared for his life.



He was threatened by male gangs carrying knives who said they wanted to rape him, friends told Kaos GL.

His body was so mutilated, he was only recognizable from his clothes, one of his friends who went to identify the body, said the rights organization.



“They cut Wisam violently. It was so violent, two knives had broken inside of him. They beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We recognized our friend from his trousers.”



The Syrian had also been kidnapped and raped five months before his death, one of his housemates told the rights organization.



“They took him by car to a forest where they beat and raped him,” the refugee’s housemate, Rayan, said.

He added that they previously had to leave a house because they were gay, Kaos GL said.



The body of a gay Syrian refugee was found mutilated and beheaded two days after he disappeared in central Istanbul, a local rights group has said.