It is certainly possible that these crimes are, in fact, simply aimed at robbery. Istanbul is, after all, a huge, cosmopolitan city, with all the pleasures and dangers that a big city can offer.
Still, there are elements to these crimes that give one pause. Even by the standards of a big city, the case of octogenarian Maritsa Küçük, left dead in her apartment, naked and riddled with stab wounds, is a particularly horrific crime.
For many, the brutality of the attacks, along with the fact that Armenians are a routinely vilified minority in Turkey suggest that these attacks are, in fact, racially motivated. This past week, anti-racism and human rights groups in Turkey demonstrated in protest.
As highlighted in statement earlier this week, Amnesty is concerned that Turkish authorities may be pre-judging its investigation into these crimes, insisting that no racial motivation is evident. As the statement underlines:
The Turkish authorities have an obligation to investigate any alleged racist and/or religious bias behind the perpetration of these crimes. A failure to do so may amount to a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, ratified by Turkey, and the prohibition of discrimination set forth by it…. [The] authorities must carry out a thorough investigation into these attacks without discarding the possibility of hate motivation from the outset and take steps to prevent further attacks.