Trans woman murdered in İzmir, marking Turkey's second hate crime this week

The body of a trans woman named Miraş Güneş who was reported missing by her friends was found inside a couch on March 11, just a few days after a trans woman was attacked with acid in Istanbul. The cause of death for the woman was determined to be blunt force trauma, and her body was sent to the coroner's office for further examination.

Friday March 12 2021 10:25 am

Duvar English

The body of a trans woman named Miraş Güneş who had been missing since Feb. 18 was found wrapped in a blanket inside a couch in Aegean İzmir on March 11, just days after a trans woman suffered an acid attack in a hate crime in Istanbul.

Güneş's friends reported her missing on March 1, some 10 days before the body of the 36-year-old was discovered.

18 Şubat’tan beri haber alınamayan Miraş Güneş, evinde öldürülmüş halde bulundu.

İstanbul Sözleşmesi’nin gereği olan etkin soruşturma yürütülerek fail derhal bulunsun. Kadın ve LGBTİQ+ cinayetlerinde faillerin cezasız kalmasına izin vermeyeceğiz! pic.twitter.com/938Nv13A0F
— Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (@KadinCinayeti) March 12, 2021

The discovery of Güneş's body marked the second hate crime against a trans woman this week, as a Syrian refugee was attacked with acid in Istanbul on March 9.

Crimes against women in Turkey are unfortunately extremely common, as the government has shown its reluctance to combat the epidemic through the courts, which are often slow to prosecute assailants, if at all.

Coincidentally, the assailant who attacked the Syrian woman with acid was released within 48 hours of being taken into custody.