Fenerbahçe Sports Club expresses support for İstanbul Convention

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Fenerbahçe Sports Club has criticized Turkey's withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (İstanbul Convention).

In a written statement posted on the Twitter account of the club, it is said, "We call on our society to be at the same point for women and girls."

Noting that it "learned it with sorrow" that Turkey withdrew from the convention last week, the sports club has referred to its own efforts for women's rights and gender equality, reminding the public that it has been "supporting the HeForShe campaign introduced by UN Women for gender equality for two years, working to ensure that women and girls can participate in society and sports freely and in equal conditions and knowing that violence against women is a violation of human rights."

"As Fenerbahçe Sports Club, which says out loud, 'Violence against women is a crime! Don't be a party to it, don't be a mere onlooker,' we would like to emphasize that we are concerned about the social consequences of the abolition of the İstanbul Convention," it has said.

"We believe that we need to safeguard the İstanbul Convention, which is an important step to prevent all types of discrimination and violence against women, for the common good of our entire society and, therefore, we demand and request that the decision of termination be reviewed," Fenerbahçe Sports Club has concluded its statement.

What happened?

Turkey has withdrawn from the İstanbul Convention with a Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette on March 20, 2021.

The decision in question said that "the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, which was signed by Turkey on May 11, 2011 and approved with the Cabinet Decree no. 2012/2816 on February 10, 2012, shall be terminated on the part of Turkey as per the Article 3 of the Presidential Decree no. 9."

Following this Presidential decision published at midnight, several social media users, women's rights defenders, lawyers and politicians, denounced the decision, recalling that the convention was unanimously approved at the Parliament and stressing that it is not possible for Turkey to withdraw from an international convention with a Presidential decision. (EKN/SD)