23/06/2016 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kaos GL, LISTAG, Pink Life and SPoD published a joint report on 19 June 2016 Trans Pride March. Organisations share their observations about the March and particulary emphasize police and transphobic gang violence.
Kaos GL, LISTAG, Pink Life and SPoD published a joint report on 19 June 2016 Trans Pride March. Organisations share their observations about the March and particularly emphasize police and transphobic gang violence.
Photo credit: Şener Yılmaz Aslan / MOKU
Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL), Families of LGBTI in Istanbul (LISTAG), Pink Life LGBTI Solidarity Association, and Social Policies, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) declared that they would monitor and report rights violations experiences during the march.
After the march, these four organisations published a shared report. In the report they share with the public their observations gathered before and during the march.
The report is a short summary of the events and does not present all the rights violations. The main picture seen from observations of monitors in the field and news is that on 19 June 2016, Istanbul Governor’s Office, Police Headquarters, and transphobic gangs in civilian clothes violated LGBTIs most basic human rights who experienced violence and harassment.
Report summarizes the events at the Pride. The conclusion of the report follows:
“As the data in this report show, the constitutional rights of LGBTI+ citizens were violated on 19 June 2016. “The right to organize meetings and demonstration marches” was seized by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, thousands of police officers working under Istanbul Police Headquarters violated the right to life of those who wanted to march, took part in homophobic and transphobic hate speech, harassed the anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia activists. The police also remained silent to the attacks of the transphobic groups in guise of civilians. Even though the police detained some of the groups that planned to attack the march, in many other cases they stood by and watched the groups attack the LGBTI.
“As can be seen in the photos published by the press [19], police violated international conventions and the Constitution of Republic of Turkey, and attacked the march with disproportionate force. As associations that defend the human rights of LGBTIs, we find the ban and the police attacks against Trans Pride March to be against democracy and human rights, in a country where basic rights are inaccessible to LGBTIs and where hate crimes target LGBTIs.
“We announce that we will be following the legal process for the prosecution of those who are responsible. We invite the authorities to act responsibly and carry out their duties to ensure security at the LGBTI+ Pride March on 26 June, so that we do not face the same conditions again.”
You can reach the report from this link.
Tags: human rights
