Turkish gay group faces closure
Authorities in Turkey are attempting to shut down one of the country’s few LGBT campaigning organisations, complaining that the group is against morality laws.
The deputy governor of Ankara Selahattin Ekremoglu has refused to officially recognise Kaos GL and has called for legal action to be taken against the group, it claims.
The move comes after Kaos approached Turkey’s Ministry of Interior for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) status.
It says it offers an invaluable support network to lesbian and gay people in the country, as well as a challenging force to ongoing discrimination in the country.
But Ekremoglu reportedly says the group is in breach of “laws and morality laws” and may face immediate closure.
The move will anger campaigners within Turkey and lead many outside of the country to question whether the country should be allowed to continue talks with the EU about joining the bloc.
Concerns over the country’s human rights records have already been raised by some campaigners, who want to see examples of real change before the country is allowed to join the EU membership.
A spokesperson for Kaos told GAY.COM that the threat of legal action is the latest in a string of attacks on lesbian and gay people in the country.
“Although being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is legal in Turkey, discrimination and persecution are prevalent,” he said.
“There is still massive discrimination in both the public and private sector.”
However, he said talks about EU accession should continue.
“Despite these difficulties, the prospect of EU membership has had a tremendously positive impact to the daily lives of all Turkish people including the LGBT community,” he said.
“It is hoped that the prospect of membership talks between Turkey and EU will continue to have a positive impact on the struggles of Turkish LGBT people.”
The European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association called for the Turkish authorities to apologise and retract the decision as soon as possible.
“We are seriously concerned about the statement by the deputy governor of Ankara and the beginning of the process to close down the Turkish LGBT organisation,” Patricia Prendiville said.
She warned that similar cases have been crushed in courts, which ruled that to bar gay groups was discriminatory.
Kaos’ spokesperson said the case could well be the setting for the push for the future of democracy in Turkey.
“Turkey has always been somewhere between the West and the East. Its culture includes both Western and Eastern values and those values sometimes clash with each other,” he said.
“Providing solutions to the problems of the Turkish LGBT community will be one of the litmus tests for the future of the democracy in Turkey, as well as inclusion in the European Union.”
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
The deputy governor of Ankara Selahattin Ekremoglu has refused to officially recognise Kaos GL and has called for legal action to be taken against the group, it claims.
The move comes after Kaos approached Turkey’s Ministry of Interior for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) status.
It says it offers an invaluable support network to lesbian and gay people in the country, as well as a challenging force to ongoing discrimination in the country.
But Ekremoglu reportedly says the group is in breach of “laws and morality laws” and may face immediate closure.
The move will anger campaigners within Turkey and lead many outside of the country to question whether the country should be allowed to continue talks with the EU about joining the bloc.
Concerns over the country’s human rights records have already been raised by some campaigners, who want to see examples of real change before the country is allowed to join the EU membership.
A spokesperson for Kaos told GAY.COM that the threat of legal action is the latest in a string of attacks on lesbian and gay people in the country.
“Although being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is legal in Turkey, discrimination and persecution are prevalent,” he said.
“There is still massive discrimination in both the public and private sector.”
However, he said talks about EU accession should continue.
“Despite these difficulties, the prospect of EU membership has had a tremendously positive impact to the daily lives of all Turkish people including the LGBT community,” he said.
“It is hoped that the prospect of membership talks between Turkey and EU will continue to have a positive impact on the struggles of Turkish LGBT people.”
The European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association called for the Turkish authorities to apologise and retract the decision as soon as possible.
“We are seriously concerned about the statement by the deputy governor of Ankara and the beginning of the process to close down the Turkish LGBT organisation,” Patricia Prendiville said.
She warned that similar cases have been crushed in courts, which ruled that to bar gay groups was discriminatory.
Kaos’ spokesperson said the case could well be the setting for the push for the future of democracy in Turkey.
“Turkey has always been somewhere between the West and the East. Its culture includes both Western and Eastern values and those values sometimes clash with each other,” he said.
“Providing solutions to the problems of the Turkish LGBT community will be one of the litmus tests for the future of the democracy in Turkey, as well as inclusion in the European Union.”
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
