M Jenny Edwards
SME, Animal Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
What happens if there's no law against bestiality?
December 21, 2014
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - In November 2014, Hakan Yucel, 45 was spotted on a CCTV surveillance camera approaching a black and white dog on the streets of Istanbul. He can be seen dropping his trousers and holding the dog by the neck as he has sex with it. A young man who witnessed the incident told officers, "My girlfriend and I had gone for a romantic walk when we heard whimpering and grunting. At first I didn't know what to do, but then I shoulted and and started running towards them."
The man ran away but local police were able to track down Yucel, who lived ear where the attack occurred. The dog's owner was also located.
There is no prohibition against bestiality in Turkey unless the animal is tortured or killed inhumanely, so the police charged Yucel with property damage, since the animal was not a stray. Prosecutors in the US are beginning to take a similar approach when penalties for bestiality are less than for another crime being committed, or when there is no law at all.
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