23/02/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
The Kaos GL Association released the 2023 Report on the Human Rights of LGBTI+s with the subtitled “No Surrender”: In 2023, torture, ill-treatment, hate crimes, impunity, detentions, and censorship all fell to LGBTI+s.
The Kaos GL Association released the 2023 Report on the Human Rights of LGBTI+ individuals. Titled “No Surrender” the report is the outcome of the association’s human rights monitoring efforts dating back to 2007.
The report, compiled based on violations reported in the media and submissions to the Kaos GL Association and other affiliated non-governmental organizations, sheds light on the state of LGBTI+ rights in 2023.
The ban on KuirFest was highlighted: The state of emergency never truly ceased
The report was unveiled today (February 23) during a gathering hosted at the Ankara Branch of the Human Rights Association. During the event, lawyer Kerem Dikmen, the writer of the report, provided an analysis of the year 2023 and discussed the significant findings outlined in the report.
Commencing his speech by reflecting on the prohibition of the Pink Life KuirFest (QueerFest), lawyer Dikmen remarked, “The ban order of the Ankara Governorship serves as a single action that underscores the reality we’ve outlined throughout the entire report. We strongly oppose this decision, which is not in accordance with the Constitution. The headline on KaosGL.org, ‘Ankara Governorship’s Return to the State of Emergency,’ succinctly encapsulates the current state of affairs. The state of emergency for LGBTI+ individuals has never truly ceased.”
“The ongoing struggle of LGBTI+s offers hope for the whole of society and for the future”
Pointing out that the state, with all its organs and powers, is pursuing a policy aimed at excluding LGBTI+ people from the public sphere, and if it cannot realize the idea of a world without LGBTI+ people, at least keep them out of sight and out of mind, Dikmen interpreted the findings of the as follows:
“In the current circumstances of Turkey, where the welfare state has been dismantled, not being able access rights such as education, health, employment means not being able to access the right to housing, not being able to access the right to food, in short, not being able to access a standard of living worthy of human dignity for LGBTI+ people. However, against all the odds, it’s imperative to emphasize that the resilient struggle of tens of thousands of LGBTI+ individuals, who bravely take to the streets to demand their rights, offers hope for whole of society and for the future. Every word, every sentence in our reports is a call to action, urging states, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, and every individual or institution with the power to act to address these violations.”
“Hate speech has permeated almost the entire political spectrum”
The report delves into the fundamental rights of LGBTI+ individuals across 23 distinct rights categories. Additionally, it provides a ranking of violations and outlines the court agenda concerning LGBTI+ people for the year 2023.
According to the report, both the government and the opposition failed on LGBTI+ rights in 2023, the year of the general election.
“While the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) coalition intensified verbal and sometimes physical violence against LGBTI+ individuals by centralizing power, other political parties or alliances vying for power remained silent on proposing changes. Hate speech has become widespread across the political spectrum due to various alliances.”
The report also underscores the prevalence of propaganda depicting LGBTI+ existence as a threat:
“Anti-LGBTI+ hate speech indirectly fosters an environment conducive to increased rights violations. Propaganda vilifying LGBTI+ existence and framing it as a malady or peril to be shunned has become pervasive in the public domain.”
Findings of the report
Some of the key findings of the report are as follows:
*Violations of the right to life manifested as hate crimes. However, the slow pace of the judicial process regarding murders of LGBTI+ individuals, the routine reduction of sentences for unjust provocation without justification, and the ensuing impunity constitute a violation of the obligation of effective investigation, which is also a procedural aspect of the right to life.
*The degrading or ill-treatment practices employed by public authorities to suppress the exercise of the right to assembly by LGBTI+ individuals resulted in ongoing systematic violations of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. Nearly one-third of the violations of the right to personal integrity against LGBTI+ individuals were directly linked to acts of violence perpetrated by public officials.
*In 2023, LGBTI+ persons were among the first groups to be overlooked in the aftermath of disasters. The Earthquake Report, a collaborative publication by the May 17 Association and Kaos GL, revealed through its data that LGBTI+ individuals residing in earthquake-affected areas were among the primary victims, not only of the seismic event itself but also of the heightened discrimination that ensued in its aftermath.
*LGBTI+ persons have suffered violations in all categories of their rights. Despite legal action taken against it, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the state’s regulatory body for media, has continued to exert pressure in the media landscape. Encouraged by the President, ministers, and parliamentarians, RTÜK has been sending videos containing hate speech to broadcasters for distribution. However, it seems impossible to obtain any results from the legal action taken against it.
*In 2023, LGBTI+ individuals were involved in legal proceedings for 56 days out of the 254 working days when courts were open, either as complainants, plaintiffs, or defendants. This marks an increase from the 37 days spent in court in 2022.
*In 2023, similar to previous years, June emerged as the most challenging month for LGBTI+ individuals. During this month, which saw LGBTI+ pride marches and trans pride marches, instances of police violence against peaceful demonstrations of LGBTI+ individuals once again ranked highest among violations.
*In 2023, as in previous years, the most common area where LGBTI+ individuals were subjected to violations was generally freedom of expression and its specific manifestation, the right to assembly.
*Interventions in the cultural and artistic field, such as performance bans, sanctions imposed on broadcasting institutions due to TV series, or censorship and self-censorship practices, as well as decisions issued by the Board for the Protection of Minors from Obscene Publications, constituted concrete evidence indicating that the cultural and artistic field was targeted by state authorities.
*In 2023, all LGBTI+ individuals detained were participants in peaceful assemblies. Of the total 266 detentions, 125 occurred alongside instances of police violence. Moreover, 42 LGBTI+ individuals, primarily detained for their involvement in peaceful protests in 2022, faced criminal charges and underwent investigation.
You can read the Turkish version the report here.
Tags: human rights
