18/11/2014 | Writer: Ömer Akpınar
Four members of Turkish Parliament including two MPs from the ruling party will participate in the conference on the fundamental rights and protection of LGBTI people against discrimination organized by the European Parliament in Tirana.
Four members of Turkish Parliament including two MPs from the ruling party will participate in the conference on the fundamental rights and protection of LGBTI people against discrimination organized by the European Parliament in Tirana.
Mehmet Metiner and Ziver Ozdemir from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Binnaz Toprak from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Ruhsar Demirel from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will participate in the joint conference titled “Fundamental Rights, Non-Discrimination and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups, Including LGBTI”, which will be held in the Albanian capital Tirana between November 20th-21st.
European Parliament organizes conference against discrimination
The event will bring together members of parliaments from pre-accession countries with representatives from the European Parliament. Topics of discussion will include legislation against discrimination, protection of minority rights and the role of media in changing prejudiced attitudes towards sexual orientation and gender identity.
Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Albania Ilir Meta and Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Albania Erion Velliaj will speak at the event. Also present at the event will be important names such as Gianludovico de Martino di Montegiordano from Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU, President of the Interministerial Committee for Human Rights (CIDU), as well as Urike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament for Western Balkans, the author of the report outlining the EU’s LGBT roadmap.
Do you know the members of Parliament who will represent Turkey in Tirana?
Mehmet Metiner, AKP MP from Adiyaman: Member of the Human Rights Investigation Committee. He participated in visits to the three prisons in Antalya and Alanya organized by the subcommittee on prisons. Complaints by gay and trans inmates were also included in the report on the issues in the L- Type Antalya prison.
Ziver Özdemir, AKP MP from Batman: Member of the Human Rights Investigation Committee. He has no record of work on LGBTI issues.
Binnaz Toprak, CHP MP from Istanbul: Deputy Chair, Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. She submitted a motion to ex Prime Minister Erdogan regarding the problems of LGBT people. Backed by 59 signatures from the CHP she also motioned the Parliament for a Parliamentary Investigation into the matter. In May 2013, she received the Outspoken Award presented by the Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in the USA.
Ruhsar Demirel, MHP MP from Eskisehir: MHP Vice President, Member of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. He met with Kaos GL’s Legal Counsel Hayriye Kara and Foreign Relations Coordinator Murat Koylu for consultation regarding the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Report on Turkey.
Homophobic attack by a conservative newspaper!
A conservative newspaper called Milli Gazete reported the Turkish Parliament’s approval of MPs’ participation in the event as “Parliament gives pass for Immorality.” A news report published on Friday by Ahmet Yavuz in the paper states, “even the mention of LGBT rights in parliamentary proceedings is the biggest insult to the nation and its beliefs.”
LGBTI activists from Turkey will also participate in the conference
Kaos GL’s Legal Counsel Hayriye Kara as well as LGBTI activists from Turkey will be in Tirana for the event. Gunseli Dum from LISTAG (Families of LGBTs in Istanbul) will also give a presentation on LISTAG’s work.
Translation: LGBTI News Turkey
Tags: life
