09/11/2016 | Writer:
14 LGBTI organizations from 8 different cities in Turkey made a joint statement.
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14 LGBTI organizations from 8 different cities in Turkey made a joint statement: Throughout the history of our organized struggle over 20 years we have always defended human rights without any doubt. As LGBTI organizations in Turkey, we would like to remind one more time that the state of emergeny situation cannot be the justification of suspending the basic human rights.
14 LGBTI organizations from Ankara, Bursa, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır, Giresun, İstanbul, İzmir and Mersin made a joint statement on the latest oppressions over the media and democracy.
“What happened since November 7 till the military coup attempt, anti-democratic interventions to media organs, to HDP and DBP, and actually to all political area are not acceptable. We demand that anti-democratic custodies and detentions have to be stopped as soon as possible” said organizations.
Here are the full text of the statement and the full list of the signatory organizations:
Oppression and detentions to public opposition
“Government increasing its oppression on the public opposition especially with the state of emergency declared after the military coup attempt in July 15, detained lately the editor and several prominent writes from Cumhuriyet journal (9 people in total), People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chairs and MPs, and politicians from Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
“Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı, the co-mayors of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, were also detained. Then a trustee was appointed to Diyarbakır Municipality on Nov. 1 after the arrests of the city’s mayors.
“Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, Cumhuriyet daily’s Editorial Consultant Kadri Gürsel, Cartoonist Musa Kart, Executive members of Cumhuriyet Foundation Önder Çelik, Bülent Utku, Mustafa Kemal Gündör, Güray Öz and Hakan Kara, and Cumhuriyet Daily Literature Supplement Editor-in-cheif Turhan Günay are now under arrest.
“HDP Co-chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, and MPs Gürsel Yıldırım, Ferhat Encü, İdris Baluken, Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Leyla Birlik and Nursel Aydoğan were also arrested.
On last Friday, while DBP Co-Chair Sebahat Tuncel also an active defender of LGBTI rights for years was waiting in front of the Diyarbakır courthouse with a group of party members for protesting the detention of HDP MPs, she was detained together with 10 others by pounding by police.
The State of Emergency cannot suspend human rights
“The time spent in custody was increased and torture became widespread that has ever been before. In prisons or streets, oppression of police forces threatens our lives and basic human rights everywhere.
“Freedom of the press targeted specifically on Cumhuriyet Journal after many other journals, TV channels, magazines and radio stations were shut down on account of the Statutory Decrees (KHK), and democratic politics targeted specifically on politicians from HDP and DBP are the basic human rights. As LGBTI organizations signed this document, we would like to remind one more time that the state of emergeny situation cannot be the justification of suspending the basic human rights.
“Throughout the history of our organized struggle over 20 years we have always defended human rights without any doubt. We have always emphasized that this system trying to assimilate us by eliminating all the ethnic, cultural, religious and gender differences consequently wiping us out has to change. After recent occasions, we repeat our call for a concerted struggle and solidarity.
We will keep resistance against the ones who try to fade our colors
“Freedom of press and political freedom are inevitable for democracy. All of these antidemocratic and oppressive practices, detentions, torture, trustee, and shutting down the journals are threatening us as a whole. Our only choice is to provide social peace, equality and justice. Recent regulations and practices of the government attempt to prevent this choice as much as they attempt to fade our rainbow colors, to stuck us in the darkness, and to end the possibilities and opportunities of living together.
“We will keep resistance against the ones who try to fade our colors. Together we will overcome the state of emergency and KHK traps. We are the people from all sexual orientations, public, religion, ethnic origins, and sexual and gender identities; and we are more than you!
“What happened since November 7 till the military coup attempt, anti-democratic interventions to media organs, to HDP and DBP, and actually to all political area are not acceptable. We demand that anti-democratic custodies and detentions have to be stopped as soon as possible!”
Signatories in alphabetic order
Çanakkale LGBTİ Initiative, Flu Baykuş, Genç LGBTİ+, Gökkuşağı Giresun, Hêvî LGBTİ, İstanbul LGBTİ, Kaos GL, Keskesor Amed LGBTİ, Lambdaistanbul LGBTİ, LİSTAG, Mersin 7 Renk LGBTİ, Bursa Özgür Renkler LGBTİ, Pembe Hayat, SPoD.
Tags: life
