07/11/2023 | Writer: Defne Güzel
Pro-government media, seeking to profit even from war, served the Druze flag as “LGBT flag”. The Patriotic Party wanted to make it a crime for LGBTI+ people to organise, demonstrate and even receive aid.
At the beginning of October we learned the information that the Great Family Platform had presented a petition with 150,000 wet-ink signatures to the Parliament, demanding that “LGBTI+ associations should be closed down and that propaganda should be banned”. Like the Great Family Platform, the Vatan Party (Patriotic Party), which has LGBTI+ hostility as its mission, announced a bill that would criminalise LGBTI+ organisation, peaceful demonstrations and even the receipt of aid.
Kürşat Mican took the business of profiting from LGBTI+ hatred one step further and made his hate book hit the shelves. Meanwhile, rights organisations have also been the target of media defamation.
Justice and Development Party Head of Women’s Branch also pointed out Women’s Platform for Equality (EŞİK), which defends LGBTI+ rights, as a target. Pro-government media, seeking to profit even from war, served up the image of a soldier unfurling the Druze flag on Israeli tanks as “unfurling the LGBTI flag”.
Pro-government media profits even from war
The targeting continued in October with a similar level of intensity. The deputy leader of the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah) called on the President of the Republic to enforce the bans on LGBTI+ people. The President responded to this call at the AKP’s extraordinary congress. The President also continued his hatred of LGBTI+ people at the 8th Family Council. Another AKP member, Hamza Dağ, described LGBTI+ as ‘social terrorism’, while the leader of the Future Party announced his support for the proposal to amend the Constitution. The Minister of National Education targeted international human rights conventions. As the targeting continued, it was also reported in the media that 3 different ministries would fight against LGBTI+ on social media.
The long-standing hate speech against LGBTI+ people, which has been turned into public policy, has also found its counterpart in the category of torture. Psychiatrist Anna Erdoğan made scandalous statements about treating homosexuals. The urologist Zeki Bayraktar said that he was able to “cure” the gender dysphoria of children.
As singer Özdemir Erdoğan continued his paranoia about LGBTI+ people, it was also reported that the artists attending Kültür Yolu festival underwent medical screening by the Ministry with the aim of checking “LGBT”. On the other hand, Ayta Sözeri’s Erciyes concert and Kahpe Feleknaz’s show in Alanya were cancelled.
In Adana, a person was the victim of extortion by people he had met on social media. Dilan, a trans woman migrant from Azerbaijan, died because she did not have access to her medication.
Verdict in Esat-Eryaman case: 4 defendants sentenced to 62 years in total
As for the course of the cases:
The cases heard in October were postponed one after the other. The case of Hande Buse Şeker has had an adjournment to November 6. Ecem Seçkin’s case had a postponement to the 1st of December. There has also been a postponement of the first hearing of the OnlyFans case and a postponement of the trial. Postponed to November 6 was the case against journalist Semra Çelebi over her post with the LGBTI+ flag. The Tarlabaşı Community Center (TTM) case has also been on hold until May 14.
It is decided that a lawsuit against those, who were detained during the 2nd Adana Pride March, would not be brought and the children detained during the 2022 Istanbul Pride Parade will neither be prosecuted. Antalya Governorship defended its decision to ban the Pride March with the claim of “protecting LGBTIs from DAESH”. The criminal complaint against Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) for broadcasting anti-LGBTI+ public service announcement, filed by Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) was not processed. A verdict was returned in the Eryaman-Esat case. 4 defendants were sentenced to a total of 62 years in prison.
Translated by: Selma Koçak
Tags: human rights, media
