30/12/2014 | Writer: Murat Köylü
Turkish Ministry of Justice responded to an application to acquire knowledge on LGBT rights.
Turkish Ministry of Justice responded to an application to acquire knowledge on LGBT rights: “There is no work on the protection and recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans citizens’ human rights run by our Ministry.”
"End to the undeclared war against LGBTs, too!" - May 1, 2013, Ankara
An application to acquire knowledge on LGBT rights made in November by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Mahmut Tanal, a member of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, was responded by the Ministry of Justice.
“There is no work on LGBT citizens’ human rights”
The Presidency of Education Directorate affiliated to the Ministry of Justice in response to application to acquire knowledge stated as “there is no work on the protection and recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans citizens’ human rights run by our Ministry. For Ministry personnel at any level, including those working in local bodies, we have not implemented any work so far in order to raise awareness on the issue.”
With reference to the response, the concerns regarding the fact that the Ministry has had no approach and given any priority to LGBT citizens, apart from the Ministry’s both internally and externally very much criticized “LGBT prison” policy, were confirmed despite of Turkey’s LGBT citizens, civil society organizations, opposition parties Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union emphasis on how inevitable it is.
Tanal applied to the Act on Right of Knowledge Acquirement
CHP MP Tanal submitting a parliamentary question “regarding the LGBT rights” to the Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag brought the same issue to the agenda of the Ministry by applying to the Act on Right of Knowledge Acquirement considering that most of the opposition parties’ parliamentary questions are left unanswered. According to the act at issue, the applicant should access to the requested information or document in 15 working days. Otherwise it is sent to the supreme board and administrative jurisdiction.
MP Tanal asked the following questions:
Is there any work on recognition and protection of LGBT citizens’ human rights in your Ministry in line with the Turkey’s national and international obligations? What kind of works and in what degree are they?
Is there any work for Ministry personnel at any level, including those working in local bodies? What kind of works and in what degree are they?
Translation: Ezgi Kocak
Tags: human rights
