21/10/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kaos GL, May 17 and Murat Çekiç associations submitted an alternative report to the UN Human Rights Committee calling for urgent reforms for LGBTI+ rights in Turkey.
Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
The 142nd session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has started. The session, which started on October 14, will last until November 7. The session in Geneva will examine the reports of France, Greece, Iceland, Pakistan and Turkey on the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Non-governmental organizations submitted alternative reports on Turkey, which will be on the agenda of the October 23-24 meeting, to the Committee. A consortium consisting of Kaos GL, 17 May and Murat Çekiç associations were among the organizations that submitted reports.
Exclusion and discrimination continue
In the joint report written by Kaos GL Human Rights Program Coordinator Attorney Kerem Dikmen, it was emphasized that despite Turkey's claims, the legal and institutional framework in the country continues to systematically exclude and discriminate LGBTI+ persons.
The organizations emphasized the need for urgent reforms and compliance with international standards in LGBTI+ rights, and reminded that with the decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, there has been a regression in LGBTI+ rights in the constitutional and legal framework.
The report includes topics such as the exclusion of LGBTI+ persons from the national human rights action plan, the categorical rejection of applications from LGBTI+ persons by the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK), violence targeting trans women, bans on LGBTI+ events and marches, arbitrary audits targeting LGBTI+ organizations.
Joint report by 12 rights organizations
Another alternative report prepared by the consortium consisting of May 17 Association, Alevi Thought Center, Association for Struggle Against Sexual Violence, Diyarbakır Bar Association, Rights Initiative, Human Rights Association, Human Rights Joint Platform, Women's Solidarity Foundation, Kaos GL, MLSA, Romani Godi and SPoD, also included the situation of LGBTI+ rights in Turkey.
The report reminded that LGBTI+s are targeted during election periods and criticized the discriminatory discourse of government officials targeting LGBTI+s.
Tags: human rights
