There are plenty of upsetting stories to be found, everyday, from every country on earth, and from every decade.  This one from Turkey should have a special shelf in the museum of human horrors, smaller we suppose than that showcasing the murders of thousands of women for a similar, mutated, “honor.”

For Ahmet Yildiz, a stocky and affable 26-year-old, the choice to live openly as a gay man proved deadly. Prosecutors say his own father hunted him down, traveling more than 600 miles from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul.

Mr. Yildiz was killed 16 months ago, the victim of what sociologists say is the first gay honor killing in Turkey to surface publicly. He was shot five times as he left his apartment to buy ice cream. A witness said dozens of neighbors watched the killing from their windows, but refused to come forward. His body remained unclaimed by his family, a grievous fate under Muslim custom.

Turkey: Father Murders Gay Son

Honor Killings

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