A man was stabbed to death in İstanbul on Saturday, reportedly for speaking Kurdish in public. The attack occurred in the Aksaray district and has provoked allegations of racism, and criticism of the authorities’ handling of the incident.
Hakim Lokman (45) was attacked by a group of 10-12 people while conversing in Kurdish, and died at the scene from injuries caused by a sharp object. His cousin, Saad Muhsin Tevfik, who was present during the attack, alleged that the attackers had been motivated by racism, saying, “They stabbed my cousin because he was speaking Kurdish.” Tevfik further criticised the delayed arrival of police and ambulance services. “The ambulance and police did not arrive for half an hour,” he said. The body was transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for autopsy and will be returned to Lokman’s home city of Duhok in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Relatives, including Tevfik and another family member, Sami Ferit Muhammed Sadık, asserted that the assault had been racially motivated, pointing to verbal abuse against Lokman for speaking Kurdish, before the physical attack. “What an injustice this is,” said Tevfik, “My cousin was killed simply because he was Kurdish.” He also criticised the authorities for their lack of response, stating, “Neither the government nor the governor has asked about us. The attackers have not been arrested.” Tevfik called on the governments of Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional of Iraq to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable.
The attack has drawn condemnation from political figures and organisations. Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chairs of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, criticised the ruling coalition, stating, “These events are not a coincidence!” They linked the attack to government policy poisoning the political and social climate, and being the cause of “organised violence against Kurds, including attacks on Kurdish workers, language, culture and music.”
The killing coincided with World Peace Day, which is observed on 1 September in Turkey, prompting Kurdish leaders and activists to call for renewed efforts towards peace and solidarity against racial violence.
