Orlando shooting: Turkish newspaper calls victims "perverts"

Istanbul, June 13: Yeni Akit, a right-wing Turkish newspaper called the victims of the Orlando mass shooting as "perverts" and "deviants" in its news report on the tragedy that rocked the world, said a Daily Mail report.

The headline of its story read: "Death toll rises to 50 in bar where perverted homosexuals go!"

The headline caused a backlash online as it was said that the newspaper celebrated the attack instead of condemning it.

Yeni Akit, which has links with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is known for using hate speech against minorities, especially the LGBT community, besides Jews, Christians and Armenians.

In four months in 2013, Turkish think-tank Hrant Dink Foundation found in a survey that 175 articles of the newspaper contained hate speech at one of the eight separate minority groups, said the report.

At least 50 people were killed while 53 were injured after a 29-year-old man Oman Mateen from Port St. Lucie, opened fire at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

The freedom of press in Turkey has been said to be deteriorating over the past several years. Three journalists were killed in 2015 over their work while measures were taken against dozen others under anti-terrorism laws.

Oneindia News