GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #4

[NewYork625]

You're probably right.

Judging from some of the comments I've seen made to news stories about the incident, a substantial portion of the US population seems to think Turkey is about as western as Yemen and about as attractive to visit. :sigh:

My uncle was stationed in Turkey while in the Air Force when i was a young and would bring us wonderful things from Turkey and tell us about it. I enjoy history and would love to see Turkey!

Also, judging from some of the contributors on here, the Turkish people have a wonderful sense of humor!

 

[Yellow]

You're probably right.

Judging from some of the comments I've seen made to news stories about the incident, a substantial portion of the US population seems to think Turkey is about as western as Yemen and about as attractive to visit. :sigh:

Yes, but I really think Turkey wants to increase US tourism. I recall going to the NY travel show and they had a big booth, much bigger than other countries, they also have commercials sometimes. I think they really want to get more...ams i get the impression in Turkey too that they really want you to tell your friends how nice Turkey is and for them to come too....and this does not help them if it is in the media that a tourist got killed there in broad daylight by a ransom person, especially given the fact that media portrayals of Turkey aren't all that great to begin with. Of course it could stir tourism among people who get interested In the case and learn more about the country. But for some Americans, their only recollection will be, oh, isn't that the country where the tourist got killed and there are all those bombings (even if there is only 1 or 2 random operatives)? Bc that is often what we hear about in the news for turkey. Turkey is not in the headlines everyday.

Of course, it happens here all the time, tourist gets killed, etc while visiting US. But it may not have the same effect in home country bc it is not the only image the media portrays...

 

[StCirq]

You're probably right.

Judging from some of the comments I've seen made to news stories about the incident, a substantial portion of the US population seems to think Turkey is about as western as Yemen and about as attractive to visit. :sigh:

Maybe a substantial portion of the US population, but they are ignorant. Only something like 20% of Americans even have passports. We are on the whole woefully ignorant about international travel, or anything international.

 

[looking4answers]

An Australian tourist was dragged into an alley in Midtown Manhattan this past weekend and raped.

I personally don't think SS's story is going to have any appreciable affect on tourism between the US and Turkey, whatever the outcome. It's not a huge story here, and as odd as this sounds, I imagine most people who are familiar with the story blame what happened more on the fact that SS was off the beaten path than on whoever killed her. There are deviants committing crimes everywhere.

Yes true. Actually this lil vixen I started dating since last week just told me she has been planning to go to Turkey in the next couple of months for 7 days, with her gf too, which somewhat alleviates my fears. I know this was a random crime, but yes of course I'm a wee bit leery after following this case so closely. Ugh.

 

[writer411]

Maybe a substantial portion of the US population, but they are ignorant. Only something like 20% of Americans even have passports. We are on the whole woefully ignorant about international travel, or anything international.

I think it boils down to the amount of discretionary income a person has to travel. Plus most ppl wont travel as far as Turkey just to have a look at old buildings and shop at markets without a personal interest in the place/culture or an invitation from someone. Given the country's location, I doubt it will ever be the top tourist destination for US citizens no matter how much marketing they do, and in that sense, no, I doubt Sarai's death will have an impact on US citizen visits to the country for those who are determined to go. Edited to add: in fact, what Ive seen more of online since Sarai's death is voices who suggest that there might be a problem for women traveling alone in Istanbul being browbeaten into silence. So as voices fade and ppl look for travel advice online, they wont see feedback critical of the country. Solved or unsolved, the death of one person or 20 people wont impact tourism numbers.

 

[Sandstorm]

Canan Gullu, the chair of the Federation of Women’s Associations in Turkey, wrote an open letter addressing Sierra: “You were born in a free country,” Gullu wrote. “You thought that this is a similar country to yours, and that you can go around and stay as you wish. But you died because of your presumption. We face violence every day. We’re being pushed around every day. Here it’s difficult to go out on the street, to attend celebrations on New Year’s Eve, or wear a skirt with a split. You just did not know about all this.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/ori...ociety-sarai-sierra-murder.html#ixzz2KqwRrULA

 

[Sandstorm]

I only read this account today - my apologies if it has already been posted.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wor...key-article-1.1259870?localLinksEnabled=false

 

[Sandstorm]

Male Violence Leaves 18 Women Dead in January
In January 2013, male violence left 18 women and 3 children dead, 13 women raped. While 2 women have been murdered despite court expulsion orders for their perpetrators, 1 teenager girl was reported raped by a student residence officer.

http://www.bianet.org/english/gender/144191-male-violence-leaves-18-women-dead-in-january

 

[KuriousKev]

"It revealed that 39 percent of women in Turkey have suffered physical violence at some point in their lives, compared with 22 percent in the United States and between 3 and 35 percent across 20 European countries."
United Nations report

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/turkish-society-sarai-sierra-murder.html#ixzz2KqwRrULA

 

[english]

Latest news being reported

http://www.ensonhaber.com/polis-sierra-icin-6-ilde-27-kisinin-pesinde-2013-02-14.html

 

[lavy]

I seriously doubt Turkish LE would want to frame this Z guy. Having the perp be a random person who attacks innocent mothers taking pictures has to be the worst thing for public relations.

No matter how unjustified it may be, if it turns out to be Z, Turkish tourism will take a hit bc all media will run with will be the headline "tourist gets murdered in broad daylight in downtown Istabul by random homeless person." Though that could happen anywhere, Combined w the fact that the most of the other media we get out of Turkey are mostly about bombings or earthquakes, from a tourism perspective, they would rather it have been an acquaintance or domestic matter.

I don't think that's possible. It's LE's job to find and arrest criminals. They can't just say (or think) lets I don't want to catch this one its going to ruin our PR. Its ministry of tourism's job to worry about such things.

They're crazy. I want to go there. And when I do, I suspect I'll spend at least 1/2 a day running back and forth over the bridge going "I'm in Asia!" *scamper* "I'm in Europe" *repeat*

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

I had a friend who said exactly the same thing. She was a bit disappointed to learn that you can't actually walk on the bridge (sorry!) but its quite fun to cross with a boat too. Thats why I was suprised SS didn't go to the Asian side. (Maybe she did but it wasn't mentioned)

 

[lavy]

Latest news being reported

http://www.ensonhaber.com/polis-sierra-icin-6-ilde-27-kisinin-pesinde-2013-02-14.html

I need to go now. Hopefully someone else will do the translation.

The summary is that police is looking for 27 people. There were 34 people who usually hang around in the walls who have been disappeared since the murder. 7 of them is found and determined to have no connections to the murder.

Z identified as "Laz Ziya" and apparently he used to use that blanket.

 

[bet2173]

Latest news being reported

http://www.ensonhaber.com/polis-sierra-icin-6-ilde-27-kisinin-pesinde-2013-02-14.html

Yes, apparently LE believes that Sarai is killed by a 46 year old homeless, collector of used papers on the streets, named Ziya. Two witnesses claimed that there were blood stains on Ziya on the day of the murder and when asked he said he fell down the steps of the walls.

He disappeared just after the murder and after investigations LE found out that he went to his hometown Karabuk. Police made a search in his family's home in Kerkuk but no sign of Ziya.

 

[bet2173]

Yes, apparently LE believes that Sarai is killed by a 46 year old homeless, collector of used papers on the streets, named Ziya. Two witnesses claimed that there were blood stains on Ziya on the day of the murder and when asked he said he fell down the steps of the walls.

He disappeared just after the murder and after investigations LE found out that he went to his hometown Karabuk. Police made a search in his family's home in Kerkuk but no sign of Ziya.

Yashim, your homeless theory is proving to be true

 

[Yashim]

And Yashim, you should be asleep, too.

You're starting to sleepsleuth.

OMG

I wrote that?

 

[Yashim]

Yashim, your homeless theory is proving to be true

Yes, but frankly I didn't think he'd be a trashman. Because, as you may know, they you usually go around pushing their trolleys carrying the huge nylon/canvas bag where they keep waste paper, cardboards, etc. Not quite likely that he'd be able to push the trolley up or down that hill, or over the walls.

I would never think trashmen would be around Kennedy street either, not a great location to find garbage containers. And there were beer cans on the grass; that place didn't seem like it was on the route of a trashman.

Most trashmen go out during nighttime. Maybe it was his off time and he decided to do some peeping and went to the walls.

 

[Yashim]

I need to go now. Hopefully someone else will do the translation.

The summary is that police is looking for 27 people. There were 34 people who usually hang around in the walls who have been disappeared since the murder. 7 of them is found and determined to have no connections to the murder.

Z identified as "Laz Ziya" and apparently he used to use that blanket.

For our international friends, "Laz Ziya" means "Ziya, the Laz". Ziya should be his first name.

Laz people are a sub-ethnic group of Kartvelians, native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia, if I recall correctly
(what I just found out from Wikipedia).

 

[SandyP]

Hmm no one has anything to say? Truth be told, this random homeless guy scenario does not inspire the imagination as much as some of the other theories.

I'd like to focus on photography since as a photographer that is how I got so interested in this case. And it seems now that it was probably photography rather than her marriage situation or some of her poor travel decisions that led to her demise.

Has anyone seen anything from an official source that suggests Sarai used the iPad to take pictures? Some posters here have suggested it but I don't think there is any evidence. If she didn't use it to photograph, why would she have carried it, I wonder. We assume she had it with her.

I don't use Skype but I am curious - would it work on a phone (either her US Samsung or the Tutkish one) or did she need the iPad? Assuming she was not paying for a Turkish cellular plan for the iPad, given her tight finances, she would have had to wait until she had wifi access in a cafe or somewhere, correct?

If homeless guy scenario turns out to be correct, I picture Sarai immersed in her photography, possibly also with earbuds, not paying as much attention to her surroundings as she should have. In one article that quoted one of her Instagram friends from the "made in ny" group (sorry no link. I saw this like almost a week ago) the guy said Sarai was fearless, jumping down onto the railroad tracks "good thing there was no train coming." Anything to get the shot she wanted. This attitude is probably what got her killed.

 

[Yashim]

They're crazy. I want to go there. And when I do, I suspect I'll spend at least 1/2 a day running back and forth over the bridge going "I'm in Asia!" *scamper* "I'm in Europe" *repeat*

As Lavy said, if you run, you'll only get as far as the security post, and your only chance of going to the Asian side will be if they decide to interrogate you there.

NY Post will write

FBI agents commenting on the arrest of an American tourist in Istanbul said they don’t believe she was there just to cross the bridge to the Asian side, believed she was on her way to meet with a “criminal element”.

 

[CMac2]

Canan Gullu, the chair of the Federation of Women’s Associations in Turkey, wrote an open letter addressing Sierra: “You were born in a free country,” Gullu wrote. “You thought that this is a similar country to yours, and that you can go around and stay as you wish. But you died because of your presumption. We face violence every day. We’re being pushed around every day. Here it’s difficult to go out on the street, to attend celebrations on New Year’s Eve, or wear a skirt with a split. You just did not know about all this.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/ori...ociety-sarai-sierra-murder.html#ixzz2KqwRrULA

I read this a while ago... Right around the time SS was found. Seemed like an organization pushing its agenda. I found it tasteless.

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