31/10/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
EU announced its enlargement report on Türkiye. The report stated that ‘the lack of protection for the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+'s continued'.
The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU), announced the enlargement reports for 10 countries, including Türkiye. The reports were made public in Brussels by EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
In the report on Türkiye, the situation regarding LGBTI+ rights was also evaluated.
In the report, it was stated that Türkiye did not implement the recommendations in last year's enlargement report. "Türkiye should effectively tackle all forms of racism and discrimination, including against LGBTIQ+’s, and ensure the protection of minorities" the report said.
"Civil society organisations face pressure"
The report also included the systematic pressure on civil society organisations. Drawing attention to the pressure on civil society organisations dealing with LGBTI+ rights, the report includes the following statements:
"CSOs, especially those dealing with women, LGBTIQ+’s and human rights, face pressure, including with the systematic use of judicial cases, also due to Türkiye’s broad definition of terrorism."
Stating that only certain civil society organisations benefit from public funds, the report underlined that stigmatisation, hate speech and discriminatory treatment against LGBTIQ+’s and women's rights are strong. The following statements were used in the report:
"The lack of protection for the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+’s continued. Hate speech and hate crimes based on sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression, negative stereotyping in the media and discriminatory rhetoric by high-ranking government officials continued."
"Anti-LGBTIQ+ rallies were organised with the permission of the authorities"
In the expansion report, it was emphasised that LGBTI+ hostile Big Family Gatherings were allowed but LGBTI+ activities were banned:
"Anti-LGBTIQ rallies were organised with the permission of the authorities. Activities and gatherings against homophobia were banned. Police intervened in the Istanbul Pride march in June 2023, and arrested more than 100 people. The main 2024 Pride march in İstanbul was banned, while dozens of people were detained in June 2024 at a gathering to mark Pride Day."
"Legislation on hate crimes is not in line with international standards"
In addition, the report stated that the legislation on hate crimes is not in line with international standards:
"Legislation on hate crimes, including hate speech, is still not in line with international standards and does not cover hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, ethnicity, or age. Cases of discrimination and hate crimes based on ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation continued to be reported."
The enlargement report also drew attention to the discrimination experienced by LGBTI+’s in employment in Türkiye. Stating that Türkiye's employment strategy is not comprehensive, the report said, "The existing laws do not offer protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
Tags: human rights, women, media
