Turkish Cypriot court issues first conviction for homophobic hate crime
Ergun Sunmez received six months in prison for assaulting his former wife and committing a homophobic hate crime against another woman, according to reports.
Trikomo, Cyprus. A Turkish Cypriot court has convicted and sentenced a person for homophobic hate crimes for the first time, according to reports published on Wednesday. Ergun Sunmez received a six-month prison term for assaulting his former wife, Pinar Tas, and committing a hate crime against Berna Numan.
Assault and sentencing
Bugun Kibris reported that Sunmez assaulted and threatened Tas at her Trikomo flat in September 2023. Numan was also there, and Sunmez directed homophobic insults at her during the incident.
According to Ozgur Gazete’s coverage of the sentencing on September 24, Sunmez and Tas had divorced five months before the attack. The newspaper reported that he went to her home, assaulted her and threatened to kill her.
Tas subsequently brought a case, reporting the physical assault and obtaining a medical report that documented it.
Bugun Kibris reported on Wednesday that the sentence comprised five months for the assault against Tas and a further month for the hate crime against Numan.
Court’s reasoning
The Turkish Cypriot Trikomo district court ruled that the homophobic remarks aimed at Numan amounted to an offence distinct from the insults and threats against Tas. It noted that the remarks could also be heard beyond the flat.
The court explained that classifying an offence as a hate crime required more than a general intention to commit an offence: the perpetrator must have a specific motive rooted in prejudice or hatred concerning someone’s sexual orientation.
In Sunmez’s case, the court found that his language demonstrated an intention beyond exchanging insults during an argument. It said he sought to marginalise and humiliate Numan publicly and expose her to hostility because of her constitutionally protected freedom concerning sexual orientation.
Legal position of same-sex couples
Turkish Cypriot authorities decriminalised sexual activity between people of the same sex on February 7, 2014, becoming Europe’s last administration to do so. They introduced anti-discrimination legislation simultaneously.
Same-sex couples nevertheless remain without legal recognition or adoption rights. Gay men are discharged from the Turkish Cypriot security forces when their homosexuality is established.
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