Turkish Court Not to Hear Case to Closedown Gay Group
Prosecutor Decides Not to Proceed With Case
Gays in Turkey have today claimed a victory in their bid to save the closure of Kaos, the gay and lesbian human rights group.
Last month, the deputy governor of Ankara, Selahattin Ekremoglu, applied to the courts to shut down Kaos, citing that the organisation was operating “against the laws and morality rules”.
The group, which was founded 11 years ago, had applied for non-government organisation (NGO) status with the Ministry of the Interior in July.
“We will not be closed down,” Kaos said in a statement released today.
The group said that the office of the prosecutor had informed them of the decision not to proceed with the case.
“This is a big step forward for homosexuals in achieving the equality and justice they deserve and in abolishing discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in all fields of social life,” the statement said.
When news of Ekremoglu’s remarks emerged three weeks ago and became known outside Turkey, the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, received representations from many international human rights groups, including ILGA-Europe and Human Rights Watch.
Turkey has already pledged to improve it human rights – it has signed up to many international agreements. And with negotiations just started with the European Union for accession in the next decade, gay and other human rights issues will be closely scrutinised by Brussels and the European Parliament.
According to Swiss Radio International, the Ankara prosecutor, Kursat Kayral, said in his ruling that the American Psychiatric Association did not rate homosexuality as a disorder and the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ were widely used in daily life and scientific research.
“We’re obviously delighted that the prosecutor’s office has recognized Turkey’s obligations not only as a country that claims respect for basic human rights principles, but as an applicant for EU entry” commented Scott Long, the director of LGBT right programme at Human rights Watch.
“At the same time, the deputy governor of Ankara can still appeal within two weeks for the case to continue.” He warned. “What’s needed is a legal provision ensuring that this kind of discriminatory action by public officials is forbidden.
“The government has resisted including protections for sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination legislation. This whole scandal shows why that refusal is just plain wrong,” he added
UK Gay News
Gays in Turkey have today claimed a victory in their bid to save the closure of Kaos, the gay and lesbian human rights group.
Last month, the deputy governor of Ankara, Selahattin Ekremoglu, applied to the courts to shut down Kaos, citing that the organisation was operating “against the laws and morality rules”.
The group, which was founded 11 years ago, had applied for non-government organisation (NGO) status with the Ministry of the Interior in July.
“We will not be closed down,” Kaos said in a statement released today.
The group said that the office of the prosecutor had informed them of the decision not to proceed with the case.
“This is a big step forward for homosexuals in achieving the equality and justice they deserve and in abolishing discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in all fields of social life,” the statement said.
When news of Ekremoglu’s remarks emerged three weeks ago and became known outside Turkey, the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, received representations from many international human rights groups, including ILGA-Europe and Human Rights Watch.
Turkey has already pledged to improve it human rights – it has signed up to many international agreements. And with negotiations just started with the European Union for accession in the next decade, gay and other human rights issues will be closely scrutinised by Brussels and the European Parliament.
According to Swiss Radio International, the Ankara prosecutor, Kursat Kayral, said in his ruling that the American Psychiatric Association did not rate homosexuality as a disorder and the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ were widely used in daily life and scientific research.
“We’re obviously delighted that the prosecutor’s office has recognized Turkey’s obligations not only as a country that claims respect for basic human rights principles, but as an applicant for EU entry” commented Scott Long, the director of LGBT right programme at Human rights Watch.
“At the same time, the deputy governor of Ankara can still appeal within two weeks for the case to continue.” He warned. “What’s needed is a legal provision ensuring that this kind of discriminatory action by public officials is forbidden.
“The government has resisted including protections for sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination legislation. This whole scandal shows why that refusal is just plain wrong,” he added
UK Gay News
