Turkey

Turkish court postpones trial of 19 Pride attendees, infringing their right to fair judicial process

Posted: 10 December 2020

Today in Turkey, at a hearing against 19 human rights defenders facing charges for “participating in an unlawful assembly” and “failing to disperse despite being warned”, the courts have decided to postpone the trial until 30 April 2021. The accused, 18 students and one academic, were arrested at a peaceful LGBTI Pride march at Turkey’s Middle East Technical University (METU) on 10 May 2019. If found guilty, they could face up to three years in prison.

Turkey: 19 LGBTI Pride marchers must be acquitted in forthcoming trial

Protests after METU Pride 2019. Credit: ODTÜ LGBTİ+ Dayanışması

Posted: 7 December 2020

Turkey must uphold its domestic and international commitments, and dismiss all charges against 19 human rights defenders, prosecuted for their participation in a peaceful Pride march at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara in May 2019, says Europe’s largest LGBTI rights umbrella organisation, ILGA-Europe.

Joint statement: The only just outcome is the acquittal of the METU Pride human rights defenders

Posted: 7 December 2020

The only just outcome is their wholesale acquittal at their next hearing on 10 December.

Turkey’s shocking Pride March trial: The story so far

18 students and one academic face up to three years imprisonment in Turkey, should a judgement be made against them on December 10. The charges? Participating in a Pride march. Here’s the story so far, and how you can stand up for the METU 19.

Joint Statement: End hate speech and targeted attacks against LGBTI people in Turkey

Posted: 8 May 2020

We call on Turkey to respect, guarantee, protect and fulfil the fundamental rights of the LGBTI community without discrimination as enshrined by its Constitution and equality article therein (article 10), and ratified by human rights treaty bodies.

Turkey: Charges against 19 LGBTI+ rights defenders must be dropped

Posted: 7 November 2019

Civil Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, Front Line Defenders, and ILGA-Europe call upon Turkish authorities to drop all charges against 19 LGBTI+ rights defenders.

Why are bisexual asylum seekers almost completely invisible?

A system that doesn’t recognise diverse sexualities, along with biphobia in LGBT communities and beyond creates a unique and distressing situation for bisexual asylum seekers, says Iranian immigrant in the UK, Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh.

Pride as a hopeful resistance

“If we make it ten steps, it will be a successful parade.” These are not the words that most Pride March organisers would ever want to say – but on the night before the 9^th Middle Eastern Technical University Pride March, it was one we as the Pride organisers had to remind ourselves.

One very proud weekend – Pride postcard from Dublin and Istanbul

ILGA-Europe Communications Team

Two cities. Two groups of LGBTI community organisers. Two events with the same name. Two very different experiences – but one common shared lesson about the significance of Pride marches in 2018.

JOINT PUBLIC STATEMENT - Istanbul Pride march must go ahead unhindered

Posted: 29 June 2018

Joint public statement from Amnesty International, ILGA-Europe and All Out