Governorship Prohibits Pride Week Press Statement Due to ‘Terror and Sensitivity’

Click to read the article in Kurdish / Turkish

* Photograph: Çiçek Tahaoğlu, June 28, 2015, 13th İstanbul LGBTI Pride March

İstanbul Governorship has declared that they would not allow the press statement to be held at the end of the 14th İstanbul Pride Week.

Previously the Governorship had also declared that they would not allow the 7th Trans Pride Parade on June 19 and the 14th LGBTI+ Pride Parade to be held on June 26 following which the LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee had made an application to the Governorship requesting to make a press statement at Tunnel Square instead of the march.

The Governorship has responded as follows:

“Within Law No: 5442, this request has not been approved as provocative acts and events may take place; and as it may cause a disruption in public order and the people’s- including the participants of the event- tranquility, security, and welfare when the terror attacks that have taken place in our country and the sensitivities that have emerged in society are taken into account”.

Pride Week Committee had lodged an appeal to the Administrative Court objecting to the prohibition order of the Governorship. The committee will now appeal to the court against the prohibition of the press statement.

What had happened?

For the first time last year, police had tried to intervene the LGBTI Pride Parade which had been realised every year for 13 years.

Right after the Orlando massacre claiming lives of 49 homosexuals, certain groups had published threat messages and attack calls targeting the 7th İstanbul Trans Pride Parade on June 16 and 14th İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Parade on June 26.

Recently Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch and İstanbul LGBTI Solidarity Association organizing the Trans Pride Week and Social Policies Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD LGBTI) had also taken legal action against threats targeting the Pride Parade and criminal complaint had been filed against the Muslim Anatolian Youth and Alperen Group on charges of inciting people to grudge and hostility, insulting, discrimination and threat.

İstanbul Governorship in its written statement had announced that it wouldn’t allow the 7th Trans Pride Parade and 14th İstanbul LGBTİ+ Pride Parade.

İstanbul LGBTİ Pride Week Committee claiming the Governorship’s decision is against the law had taken an action in Administrative Court for suspension of the execution.

In 7th Trans Pride Parade held on June 19, police attacked the activists with gas and plastic bullets though having allowed them to read press statement earlier. 11 persons have been taken into custody. (ÇT/DG)