Demonstrations banned in İstanbul's Kadıköy ahead of Boğaziçi protests

Boğaziçi protesters holding a demonstration in Kadıköy on March 27. (Photo: Boğaziçi Memories / Twitter)

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The sub-governor of İstanbul's Kadıköy district has banned all gatherings and demonstrations citing the recent surge in coronavirus cases.

The order came after calls for a demonstration today (April 1) by Boğaziçi University students, who have been protesting the president's appointment of rector to the school from outside its academic community for three months now.

Over the past months, Kadıköy has become a center of protests as several demonstrations have been held in the district against incidents of male violence, discrimination against LGBTI+s and the Boğaziçi rector appointment.

On March 20 and 27, Women and LGBTI+s protested President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's decision to pull Turkey out of the İstanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty for combating violence against women.

The Sub-Governor's Office said in a written statement that it took into account the Ministry of Health's coronavirus scientific board and the risk map, which classifies İstanbul as a "very high risk zone."

Turkey reported record-high daily coronavirus cases in the past two days as the UK variant has become the dominant strain of the virus in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

The sub-governor of Kadıköy banned all demonstrations and events in open areas, citing article 17 of Law No. 2911 on Demonstrations and Gatherings and article 32/Ç of Law No. 5442 on Provincial Administration. (EMK/VK)