A young man named Barış Çakan has been murdered in Ankara, stabbed in his heart in a park by three men. The cause of the violent assault is said to be because Çakan and his friend were listening to Kurdish music while Ankara Governorship claimed that the incident was not hate motivated.

Barış Çakan in Ankara is said To have been stabbed in his heart and murdered, for listening to Kurdish music. The incident took place at 22.30 at a park as three people assaulted him and his friend.

REACTIONS: HATE CRIME

Following Barış Çakan's death, social media in Turkey reacted strongly calling the murder a "Hate Crime" as many people likened the incident to the case of George Floyd in the US as a man became target of violence due to his identity.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: IT IS ABOUT CALL TO PRAYER

Ankara Governorship made a statement "the incident was ignited because of a quarrel regarding the call to prayer not due to listening to Kurdish music" claiming that people warned Barış Çakan and his friend to not interrupt with the call to prayer which was chanted at 22.02. Governorship statement reads, "the incident took place not because the victim was target of a warning but because the victim and his friend had warned passer bys in a car listening to loud music during the call to prayer."

NOT THE FIRST CASE

Barış Çakan's cousin Doğan Çakan stated that the funeral would take place tomorrow as he added that he also had been target of an assault for listening to Kurdish music previously. In the last 7 years there have been 4 cases when people were murdered and 10 people were wounded in violent assaults for listening to Kurdish music or speaking in Kurdish in public.