06/11/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kerem Dikmen, Kaos GL Association Human Rights Program Coordinator, wrote to Expression Interrupted about the “influence agency” bill.
Kerem Dikmen, Human Rights Program Coordinator of Kaos GL Association, wrote to Expression Interrupted about the proposed law, which was recently adopted by the Justice Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and includes the regulation on “influence agency”.
Stating that the proposed law will render both the press and civil society organizations advocating for rights inoperable, Dikmen wrote: “‘Influence agency’ law: A new blow to civil society and freedom of the press”
"For some time now, the Republic of Turkey has been putting its policies against LGBTI+ rights in writing and assigning tasks to executive ministries such as the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Family and Social Services. Today, state institutions also define cultural interest as opposition to LGBTI+ rights. As a matter of fact, in the 2024 - 2028 Vision and Action Plan for the Protection and Strengthening of the Family, published by the Ministry of Family and Social Services in May 2024, activity 2.2. of the strategic goal number 2 titled “Strengthening the fight against violence, harmful trends and habits that threaten the family” is described as the preparation of a “strategy document that sets out standards for combating global desexualization projects”; all Ministries, the Presidency of Religious Affairs and non-governmental organizations are assigned as implementers in this regard. Therefore, supposedly combating de-sexification projects, that is, combating LGBTI+ existence, is now a strategic goal for the state."
"Based on this, it is clear that the activities of associations working in the field of LGBTI+ rights or covering this field will be in the visible target of the influence agency regulation. To give an example, today, many civil society organizations in Turkey are financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). And as the organization's website states, “Sida is a state agency working on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Swedish development cooperation and humanitarian aid is guided by government strategies. The strategies set the objectives of Swedish development cooperation. Well, a study on LGBTI+ rights by a Turkish human rights organization supported by Sida or a similar institution and its statements/activities related to this study can easily be characterized as an act against the cultural interest of the state, which in turn can be accused of being against political interest."
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Tags: human rights
