http://news.kaosgl.com en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://news.kaosgl.com/nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://news.kaosgl.com http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=188 Istanbul
16 April 2008

At this year's Istanbul International Film Festival, one of the major attractions is A Jihad for Love, a documentary about a taboo subject: homosexuality in Islamic countries. Homosexuality is strictly banned in most interpretations of the Koran. This is the first time the film is being screened in a Muslim country. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from the festival.
The ending of A Jihad for Love, was greeted with rapturous applause from a packed audience. The film, which Indian Muslim director Pervez Sharma filmed in 12 countries and took six years to make, is an intimate look at the lives of 12 gay Muslim men and women.

Much of the material was filmed in secret in Muslim countries that ban homosexuality. But Sharma says the film is as much about the Muslim faith as it is about homosexuality.

"The world's first film, about Islam and homosexuality, because what is central to this film is Islam. The Koran is central to this film. I always say that I made this film with a Muslim camera, and if I had been a white Western filmmaker, as opposed to a gay Muslim filmmaker, I don't think I would been able to make this film, or get the kind of access that I did into these communities, that had been surrounded by silence." said Sharma.

Sharma argues the film is not intended as an attack on Islam, but rather a defense of it. He says the movie is aimed as much at Western audiences as at Muslims, with the goal of challenging stereotypes about the Islamic faith, which exist in the post-September 11 world.

"It shows people, Islam is not a problematic monolith, but that is lived in very diverse ways, in different countries, that it is living religion. It is the world's fastest growing religion, for a reason, and it certainly enables the discourse about Islam to shift. It takes it away from violence and takes it towards love, and that is why I called the film a Jihad for Love," added Sharma.

While homosexuality is legal in Muslim-majority Turkey, it remains a taboo subject for many. This member of the audience appreciated that the wall of silence was broken.

Warm responses came as a major relief to the filmmakers. The festival flew in several people who were featured in the documentary, including Egyptian-born Mazen, who now lives in self-imposed exile in Paris, because he is homosexual. He said he had concerns about attending the Istanbul festival.

"I was afraid when I came to Turkey, I was nervous, when I arrived to audience for the question and answer. I was shaking. I did not know from where I will get the questions and what they will be, but I saw the people , I saw them applauding me, applauding everybody in the film. I said phew, I was very happy," said Mazen.

The response was not all positive. Several of Turkey's Islamic newspapers condemned the film, calling it an attack on the Islamic faith. According to orthodox interpretations of the Koran, homosexuality is strictly forbidden.

Festival organizers placed security guards in the audience during the screening and the question-and-answer period after the film.

Hostility toward the film is nothing new, according to A Jihad for Love producer Sandi Dubowski. That is why he says its screening in Istanbul was so important.

"It is groundbreaking because we have been submitting to film festivals in the Arab world and we've been rejected," he said. "So it is quite a landmark for us to be here. We are doing a tour to Indonesia but it is kind of ironic because we have been just banned in Singapore."

The film and its filmmakers will tour the world for the next couple of years. Screenings are planned in India and Indonesia. The filmmakers hope the Arab world will eventually open its doors and allow A Jihad for Love to be seen.

Original Link: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-16-voa60.cfm]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=188 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:35:36 +0300 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=187
A police raid on a Turkish human rights organization is the latest incident in an escalating pattern of harassment of gay rights groups, Human Rights Watch said on April 16, 2008. In a letter to Turkish Minister of Interior Beºir Atalay, Human Rights Watch called on the government to cease official harassment of groups working on sexual orientation and gender identity issues, and to ensure training of all criminal-justice officials in human rights principles.

On April 7, 2008, approximately 12 police in plainclothes entered the headquarters of the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, which defends the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Their warrant cited suspicion that Lambda “facilitates prostitution, acts as a go-between [and] provides a place for [prostitution],” criminalized under Article 227 of Turkey’s Penal Code. The raid took place 10 days before an April 17 court hearing in a case against Lambda Istanbul brought by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, accusing the group of violating Turkish “moral values and its family structure.”

“What’s really immoral is the Istanbul authorities’ campaign against Lambda Istanbul for protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” said Scott Long, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “The government should reform laws that allow officials to harass groups like Lambda Istanbul in order to guarantee everyone’s human rights.”

After a two-hour search the officers took a list of Lambda Istanbul’s members, along with records of its decisions and other documents. The organization’s property has still not been returned. Lambda Istanbul’s attorney told Human Rights Watch that prosecutors informed him the group had been under surveillance since March 2008.

Lambda Istanbul has suffered harassment by the Turkish authorities since 2007, when the Istanbul Governor’s Office demanded its closure, arguing the name and objectives of the group were offensive to Turkish “moral values and its family structure.” The Prosecutor’s Office rejected the complaint in July 2007, but the governor’s office pursued the case to a higher court. After four hearings, the case is still pending.

Under human rights law, including the European Convention on Human Rights, which applies in Turkey, the Turkish authorities must guarantee freedom of association to all, without discrimination.



For more information, please contact:

In Istanbul, Emma Sinclair-Webb (English, Turkish): +90-538-972-4486 (mobile)
In New York, Scott Long (English): +1-212-216-1297; or +1-646-641-5655 (mobile)

In New York, Juliana Cano Nieto (English, Spanish): +1-212-216-1233; or +1-646-407-0020 (mobile)]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=187 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:31:01 +0300 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=185 Turkish Daily News
Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Turkish society is quite “macho;” it is very masculine. Feminine behaviors in men are not welcomed at all.Homosexuality and all visible signs belonging to sexual minorities are taboos and forbidden. Transsexuals and transvestites are condemned to work as prostitutes since there is no other option available for them to survive. It is obvious, something is repressed quite strongly, is not it?

I always find Turkish society quite hypocritical in this respect. I was at university when I first realized how deeply Turkish society was in self denial when it comes to homosexuality and other kind of “feminine attitudes” in men. Toward the end of my university education, I decided to make some money to support my education expenses. A friend of mine and I bought a stroller and turned it into workbench on which we were selling “kokoreç” (roasted sheep's intestines).

However, we were not successful in this business and we were waiting until morning to sell our staff. Through this business, I became aware “the night life” in the streets of Ankara. It was unbelievable and shocking to see these long queues of the cars to pick up one of the transsexuals or transvestites in the streets. If there were a woman prostitute and transgender in competition, the latter had always become the winner. “Normal guys,” “married men” had turned into something different at night. Most probably these guys were the ones who condemned homosexuals and other sexual minorities as perverts in their daily lives. And I think they did not see themselves as homosexual.

Homosexual as an entertainment tool

I said there is no alternative but prostitution for transsexuals and transvestites. I also indicated that Turkish society do not allow physical appearance of homosexuality in public. There is, however, an interesting exception to this rule and it is the entertainment sector. You can see LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transvestite) on television or in any night club as singer; performer, artists and they become a quite usual part of our entertainment sector. People who do not have any tolerance toward LGBT are delighted to see this people as part of their “entertainment life.” If Freud were alive right now, I am sure, he would do a lengthy analysis of this peculiar situation. However, even people who are not therapist in profession can easily understand that this macho appearance hides something behind it in Turkish society.

From Zeki Muren to Bülent Ersoy

In 1990s we had Zeki Muren, who was known “sun of art” and in 2000's we have Bülent Ersoy. Zeki Muren was homosexual and he did not hide it. Bülent Ersoy is a well known transvestite. There is no doubt that these “marginal” artists are really talented but I also believe that “their colorful appearances” helped them a lot in their journey of becoming “super stars” in Turkey. It is strange that an obvious disadvantage, an identity which is stigmatized in “normal” life can become a serious advantage when it comes to singing, showmanship and so on. Maybe they represent the dark shadow or Jungian archetype to put it more correctly. The way the Turkish societey relates itself with sexual minorities deserves much deeper analysis and I think it may help us to have a clearer picture of modern Turkish pop culture. This subject comes to my agenda agenda once again with Bülent Ersoy's remarks about the current incursion carried by Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq. Her comments about this military operation provoked a quite harsh reaction from the media and some sections of the society and Bulent Ersoy become the center of the critisism.

Bülent Ersoy as anti war activist

Her remarks will probably being discussed for a long time. On a television program she said: “I cannot know exactly what it means to have a child. I am not a mother and will never be able to be one. But I am a human being; and as a human being, to bury them… I may not know how these mother's hearts are breaking, but mothers understand. This is not a war under normal conditions. It is written down and people are forced to play along. There is intrigue, and that is hard to cope with."

She was attacked from many different angles after having spelled out these thoughts. Very recently she had a press conference and she declared that she is behind her words.

What Bulent Ersoy did suggest a shift in the relation of masses and LGBT in the so called entertainment sector. The contract between them was something like that: These LGBT people would appear in public without hiding their identity; masses would like it as it represents their repressed side. However, when the LGBT will appear, they will only assert their identities, but no criticism or confrontation will be suggested to the society. Bulent Ersoy however, attacked to the very roots of Turkish masculinity by objecting the military incursion and also reminded to Turkish mothers how they should perceive this war. Will Turkey tolerate serious words of a member of sexual minority with whom they entertain themselves a lot ? We will see…

Original Link: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=97767]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=185 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:09:29 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=184 PinkNews.co.uk

The closing of Lambda would be a devastating blow for the European LGBT emancipation movement.
Efforts by Turkish officials to close one of the country's leading LGBT organisations will resume in court today.

A department of the Istanbul Governor's office responsible for non-governmental organisations alleges that the group, Lambda Istanbul, violates Turkish laws on morality.

They claim that Lambda violates both the Penal Code, as an association in violation of "law and morals," and Article 41 of the Turkish constitution, which is concerned with "the peace and welfare of the family."

At a hearing last October Lambda's lawyers presented the court with a report from a legal expert explaining why the group's work on LGBT rights was not in breach of morality codes.

The judge then ordered the prosecution to prepare a report of their own and the case was adjourned until today.

Today's hearing is the third, after Istanbul authorities were defeated in a lower court in 2006, which ruled that every Turkish citizen "had a constitutional right to found an organisation."

Government officials have made similar legal moves to shut down other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organisations in Turkey but failed.

Kaos GL, based in Ankara, faced a demand for closure from Ankara's deputy governor, Selahattin Ekmenoglu, in 2005. The closure petition was dismissed by prosecutors.

A spokesman for Lambda Istanbul said the case was "significant with regards to the ongoing debates around the draft for a new Turkish constitution.

"The first draft put forth by the government was received with much criticism and was denounced as 'backlash' against gender equality, women's rights and human rights.

"Lambda, KAOS GL, Istanbul's Women's Platform for a New Constitution and other human rights groups are currently undertaking a campaign to prevent the backlash and gain new ground.

"Among other issues, we are demanding that the constitution's anti-discrimination article include sexual orientation and gender identities."

The chairman of Dutch gay rights group COC, Frank van Dalen, says that closing Lambda Istanbul would be against non-discriminatory guidelines issued by the European Union and against the universal right to free speech.

Turkey is a candidate country for EU membership, but concerns about human rights are one factor frustrating negotiations.

The closing of Lambda would be a devastating blow for the European LGBT emancipation movement, according to COC.

Mr Van Dalen has called on the Dutch government to not support Turkey's application for EU membership until "basic human rights are fully respected by Turkey."

Original Link: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6720.html]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=184 Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:30:45 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=183 Sibel Utku Bila
January 22, 2008

A unique play in an Ankara theater ended with a standing ovation last week as the little-known actors - transsexuals and gays raising their voice against discrimination - fought back their tears on stage. The play, "Pink and Grey," put the spotlight on the plight of transsexuals in mainly Muslim Turkey, in the latest initiative of a fledgling but increasingly vocal movement for rights by a community long ostracized and often harassed.

Beaming with pride and excitement, the amateur stars, male-to-female transsexuals Derya Tunc and Sera Can, received congratulations in the boisterous backstage area, taking a welcome respite from their actual jobs as sex workers.

"Despite all the discrimination we face, I have no regrets for what I am," Can said cheerfully. "My only regret is having ended up in the prostitution sector."

Almost all transsexuals and transvestites in Turkey make their living as prostitutes. They say they have no other option in a society where homophobia is strong and often accompanied by violence.

Three-quarters of Turks say they are "disturbed" by homosexuals, a recent opinion survey showed, although many gays today are recognized as being among the country's most prominent singers and fashion designers.

Notoriously harsh against transsexual prostitutes, police have been accused of arbitrary round-ups, mistreatment, torture and rough "clean-up" operations in several Istanbul neighborhoods popular with transsexuals. Activists say police abuse declined in recent years as the homosexual and transgender movement became organized and Turkey's bid to join the European Union made human rights a priority.

"Before, the police used violence - now they only fine us," said Buse Kilickaya, head of Pembe Hayat, or Pink Life, a newly founded association that advocates transgender rights and sponsored "Pink and Grey."

She pointed to the ongoing trial of four people over an assault on transvestite and transsexual prostitutes in Ankara's Eryaman suburb in 2006, which left several seriously injured.


The victims were attacked by young men wielding sticks and knives who were allegedly encouraged by local authorities and property developers; their apartments were ransacked and they were eventually forced to flee the neighborhood.

Attorney Senem Doganoglu, a supporter of Pink Life, said transvestites and transsexuals continue to be arbitrarily detained and could end up in a police station simply for showing up in the street.

"I had a case in which one was detained when she went out in the evening to buy bread," Doganoglu said.

Prostitution is not a crime in Turkey, so the police use a law that provides for fines for disturbing public order to pursue transsexual sex workers, she explained. The advocacy of conservative values by the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) "is fostering the existing climate of intolerance," she argued.

Islam's impact on sexual freedoms, however, has proven to be a tricky issue in secular Turkey, where same-sex relationships and sex-change operations are allowed, unlike in many other Muslim countries, and homosexual traditions can be traced back to the palaces of Ottoman sultans.

One of Turkey's best-known gay citizens, prominent fashion designer Cemil Ipekci, made the headlines this month as he praised the AKP, described himself as a "conservative homosexual" and said he would have worn a headscarf had he been a woman.

And a transgender association in Ankara has called for a special mosque where its members can pray without disturbing the conventional flock. "They cannot deny us the right to pray for salvation, can they?" asked group leader Oksan Oztok.

Activists say they hope discrimination will decrease as they become better organized and more vocal.

"We know things can't c hange overnight," Kilickaya said. "But there is progress already and we will continue to fight."

Original Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&article_id=88230
]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=183 Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:26:13 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=182 Ankara, Turkey
May 12-19, 2008.

As Kaos GL Association, we are organizing the Third International Anti-Homophobia Meeting which will take place in Ankara on May 12-19, 2008.

The Meeting will incorporate various activities such as conference presentations, workshops, and forums, in which local and international presenters and audience members will participate.

In last year’s Meeting, homophobic attitudes, behaviors, and discrimination encountered in social, political, cultural, and academic domains were examined by experts, artists, academics, politicians, and journalists. The main topic of the International Anti-Homophobia Meeting was “Media And Homophobia” in May 2007.


For the past ten years, we have organized various social, cultural and academic activities and events for the improvement of the rights of gay and lesbian individuals and for the prevention of discrimination. We had organized a symposium entitled “Problems of Lesbians and Gays and Search for Solutions towards Social Peace” in May 2003. The first one of our International Anti-Homophobia Meeting took place on May 17-21, 2006.

It is our honor to invite you to the Third International Anti-Homophobia Meeting. We are planning to focus on the area of “Human Rights and Discirimination” in our upcoming Meeting in May 2008. We are going to organise some panels and forums at university campuses and we wish to see you in Ankara for the panel called “International Mechanism and Human Rights Process in Turkey” which will be held in Cebeci Campus of Ankara University on May 14, 2008. It would be pleasure to listen your speech at this panel. The other speakers are Kursad Kahramanoglu(as the moderator), Former General Secretary of International Lesbian and Gay Association and Prof. Dr. Yakin Erturk, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against.

We had invited some of the members of European Parlaiment for our meetings before and Michael Cashman had participated to the symposium entitled “Problems of Lesbians and Gays and Search for Solutions towards Social Peace” in May 2003. We invited him again to our meeting for the panel called “Human Rights Issue during the process of EU” and we are happy to say that he accepted to participate as a speaker at this panel. It is extremely important to have the opportunity to listen your speech in this meeting. If you accept our invitation, we will be so pleased to host you in Ankara.


If you are interested in the last year’s meeting, you can see the program of the meeting here:
http://news.kaosgl.com/item/2007/5/11/second-international-anti-homophobia-meeting-may-15-17-2007

It is our belief that the Third International Anti-Homophobia Meeting will be a significant step towards eliminating discrimination in society, especially during the process of Turkey’s EU membership.

Kaos GL - Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=182 Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:14:33 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=181 Turkish Daily News, NAZLAN ERTAN

As young journalists eager to get our news onto the front page, we used to joke that certain words would guarantee headlines: Sex, guns, diplomatic/political/police scandal. Our formula was simple – the more “s”es in a headline, the higher its visibility on the front page: “A secret telegram” might be front page, but “Sex Scandal” was better. “Sex scandal in the police force” was certainly headline material.
Thus, given this formula that we young reporters devised back in the 1990s, it came as no surprise when I saw the headline in the Turkish language daily Vatan: “Homosexual police officer's ICQ sex quest ends in prison.”

The story, duly picked up by all news Web sites and a few gay/lesbian Web sites, is an internet surfer's nightmare: In the northern town of Zonguldak, a police officer, invited five young men he met on internet to his house, who ran away after stealing his gun, leaving him tied up.

The police officer reported the next day that he had lost his gun in the toilet of the local mosque – a lie that was quickly discovered since the mosque had been closed down the night before.

Upon closer questioning, the police officer told the details of his rather touching story: He had discovered that he liked men and tried fervently to suppress it. Despite efforts to “cure” himself through the help of a psychiatrist, he discovered that he could not “fight” it. When his marriage fell apart, he was transferred from the Aegean province of Uşak to Zonguldak, to start a new life.

Alas, his loneliness increased in the new city and he has turned to Internet chatting-dating-mating as many singles are doing more and more. There, he has met a young man, whom he invited to wine and dine, along with a few friends of the latter. The group then went back to the police officer's house, engaged in “some” petting, but, at one point, a disagreement erupted. The police officer threatened the young men with his gun to consummate intercourse, but they managed to tie him down and ran away, taking his gun with them.

The police officer accused the five young people of theft, while the young men are accusing the police of officer of forcing sex upon them. All are presently at Baycuma Prison, according to Vatan.

Homosexuality in Turkey is a complex subject. Zeki Muren, Turkey's most beloved singer, is homosexual. The closest contender to his throne, Bülent Ersoy, is a transsexual. One of the best contemporary writers, Murathan Mungan, is gay. One wonders whether any Divan Poetry, (Palace Poetry of the Ottoman Empire) would exist at all if it had not been for homosexuality. The “black doe-eyed beauties” who bring alcohol for the poets cited in all the poems are not women, but young men in the palace.

Despite all this, outside certain circles, the rights of homosexuals are hardly respected. According to KAOS GL, the largest and most-organized Gay-Lesbian association in Turkey, Turkey's drive to improve human rights in line with EU standards is also forcing officials slowly to overcome prejudices against homosexuals.

Activists say most of them risk their jobs if they disclose their sexual identity and there are no laws to protect their rights. The Turkish army is the only NATO force to still consider homosexuality a psychological disorder, according to Eubusiness.

But consider the progress, given that after the military coup in 1980, gay artists were banned from appearing on Turkish state television or on stage in public places.

Original Link: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=90773]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=181 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:46:48 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=180 Pink News, Gemma Pritchard

Progress reports released by the European Commission last month show improvements in the monitoring of LBGT rights in countries looking to join the European Union.
Each year the European Commission monitors the achievements and progress of each of the EU candidate (Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey) and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia), and Kosovo in fulfilling the obligations of the partnership agreements between the country and the EU.

The Commission published the 2007 progress reports in November.

LGBT rights organisation, ILGA-Europe, has praised the EU's increased focus on LGBT human rights, especially in the Turkish and Serbian reports.

A spokesperson for ILGA-Europe said: "ILGA-Europe appreciates the way in which the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are raised in the European Commission's 2007 progress reports on Turkey and Serbia.

"It is especially positive that the Commission explicitly raises the human rights violations encountered by transsexuals and transvestites in Turkey.

"There is also in general a clearly positive development in the progress reports as the human rights of LGBT people are explicitly mentioned in a larger number of the eight reports than last year."

However, they added that not all countries are being effectively monitored.

"ILGA-Europe regrets that the Commission's 2007 progress report on Macedonia does not include explicit references to the situation of LGBT people despite information provided by the civil society to the Commission. The report on Croatia only includes one explicit reference to LGBT people in spite of documentation provided by ILGA-Europe and its partners.

"Additionally, there are no explicit references to the situation of LGBT people in the progress report on Montenegro and only limited references in the reports about Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo.

"ILGA-Europe acknowledges a lack of documented information concerning these countries and areas but encourages the Commission to introduce a unified code of assessing the accession countries in the progress reports with regard to explicit references to the situation of LGBT people.

"There are few explicit references to the human rights of transgender people in most of the reports."

The progress reports include several general references to the human rights of minorities and vulnerable groups and to anti-discrimination legislation among others. ILGA-Europe believes that these references implicitly include LGBT people. However, as the accession countries' governments are not always willing to understand sexual orientation and gender identity and gender expression as forbidden grounds of discrimination or as issues included in the accession partnership agreements, they say that it is very important to include explicit references to LGBT people in the reports.

According to the organisation, there is a significant positive development in the progress reports compared with last year as the human rights of LGBT people are explicitly mentioned in almost all of the reports.

The inclusion of LGBT rights in most of the progress reports is to a very large part a result of active advocacy work, documentation of human rights violations and good cooperation between the LGBT organisations and the European Commission.

The reports state that in Turkey, "a closure case against an association which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is ongoing", while "transsexuals and transvestites are, on occasion, subjected to physical harassment. There is a need for the police to properly investigate such case." It also says that Turkey has made no progress in ensuring cultural diversity and promoting respect for and protection of minorities in accordance with European standards, and that the legal framework on anti-discrimination is incomplete and does not provide for protection against discrimination on grounds of age or sexual orientation.

In Serbia, the report says that "in practice, discrimination is widespread, affecting in particular the Roma community, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities and persons of different sexual orientation. There have been incidents and attacks against organisations active in the promotion of peace, the fight against impunity or those defending the right to a different sexual orientation with insufficient follow-up by the law enforcement authorities. "

In Albania, cases of arbitrary arrest and mistreatment of homosexuals by the police still occur, while in Bosnia discrimination based on sexual orientation is common. A number of homophobic incidents were recorded in Croatia and is Kosovo, "overall, some progress was achieved, but minorities and other vulnerable groups face restrictions in exercising their right to freedom of assembly and association across Kosovo. There is a need to promote more actively the rights of groups such as homosexuals to fight prejudice and verbal and physical violence."

The Montenegro report found that "preparation of anti-discrimination legislation reflecting the two EU directives in this field [anti-discrimination] needs to be stepped up" and in Macedonia "further efforts are required to fight against all forms of discrimination. A comprehensive law on anti-discrimination should allow for more effective mechanisms to identify, pursue and penalise all forms of discrimination by state and non-state bodies against individuals or groups."

The Commission's progress reports are the most important tools at hand for the EU in influencing the human rights situation in the candidate countries and potential candidate countries.

The time before actual membership agreements is crucial as a "window of opportunity" to put pressure on the governments in these countries as the reports are part of the official assessment of the candidate countries.

The gradually wider and more self-evident inclusion of LGBT human rights in the Commission's monitoring system and in the progress reports should mean that LGBT rights are recognised within the European Union and that it is expected and demanded of the future members that they comply to the European values.

In the case of Turkey, in the context of the progress report a new partnership agreement was signed that includes an explicit reference that Turkey is obliged to "guarantee in law and in practice the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by all individuals, without discrimination and irrespective of language, political opinion, sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation".

The explicit reference to sexual orientation in the partnership agreement is a very binding commitment and a strong signal of positive development in the status of the human rights of LGBT people within the EU accession process.

Original Link: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6237.html]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=180 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:45:20 +0200 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=179
The following is a Human Rights Watch press release:

Turkey: End Legal Action Against Gay Rights Group
Attempt to Close Lambda Istanbul Endangers Basic Freedoms


A legal challenge by the governor of Istanbul seeking to close down Lambda Istanbul, a gay rights organization, threatens basic freedoms of association and expression, Human Rights Watch said today.

"Shutting down groups because you don't like the people they represent is an attack on freedom itself," said Juliana Cano Nieto, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, who will attend an October 18, 2007 court hearing in Istanbul on the organization's fate. "If organizations that defend human rights cannot function, Turkey's status as a real democracy is in danger."

The Governor's Office of Istanbul has demanded the closure of Lambda Istanbul, an organization defending lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people's rights in Turkey, claiming that the name and objectives of the group are "against the law and morality". The governor had asked in early 2007 that the group be shut down; in July, the local Prosecutor's Office rejected the complaint. The Governor's Office then took the case to a higher court, the Beyoglu Sutluce Court of First Instance No. 5, which heard the case in July 2007 and ordered a second hearing for October.

The Provincial Associations Directorate of the Governor's Office, responsible for nongovernmental organizations, alleged that Lambda Istanbul's aims violate the Turkish Civil Code and Article 41 of the Constitution. Article 56 of the Turkish Civil Code states that, "No association may be founded for purposes against law and morality." Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution states that "[t]he family is the foundation of the Turkish society (. . . )" and that "[t]he state shall take the necessary measures and establish the necessary organisation to ensure the peace and welfare of the family." Article 54 of Turkey's Law on Associations allows for the suspension of organizations on the grounds, among others, of "public morality."

Lambda Istanbul's charter defines its main aim as "to support all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to adopt equality as a value, to realize their inner selves and to help bring peace and welfare; to guide LGBT individuals in becoming more professional, more active and responsible towards society and in social matters." The governor's complaint also claims the group's name contravenes the law as "Lambda" is not a Turkish word. The word is an internationally recognized symbol of LGBT identity.

Lambda Istanbul has defended the Turkish LGBT community since its creation in 1993. It operates a telephone helpline to counsel LGBT people and raises awareness through cultural, educational, and political activities. It has actively lobbied for legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Lambda applied for nongovernmental organization status with the Ministry of the Interior in 2006, but its application is on hold until the court reaches a decision.

Government officials have made similar legal moves to shut down other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations in Turkey. Kaos GL, based in Ankara, faced a demand for closure from Ankara's deputy governor, Selahattin Ekmenoglu, in 2005. The closure petition was dismissed by the Prosecutor's Office.

In 2005, sexual orientation was included as a protected status in an early draft of an anti-discrimination bill in Parliament, but lawmakers later eliminated the language. Meanwhile, laws and regulations that refer to "general morality" are still used to restrict LGBT people's rights to association and expression, and also to justify police arrests and harassment on the streets.

Turkey is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Both treaties protect the rights to freedom of expression and association and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. ]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=179 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:35:17 +0300 http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=178 PinkNews.co.uk

Efforts by Turkish officials to close one of the country's leading LGBT organisations will have to wait until next year as a judge has ordered that legal experts compile a report.
A department of the Istanbul Governor's office responsible for non-governmental organisations alleges that the group, Lambda Istanbul, violates Turkish laws on morality.

They claim that Lambda violates both the Penal Code, as an association in violation of "law and morals," and Article 41 of the Turkish constitution, which is concerned with "the peace and welfare of the family."

At yesterday's trial, Lambda's lawyers presented the court with a report from a legal expert explaining why the group's work on LGBT rights was not in breach of morality codes.

The judge has ordered the prosecution to prepare a report of their own and the case was adjourned until January 31st 2008.

Lambda's lawyer, Firat Söyle, told bianet.org he is confident of victory.

"The association is the expression of an organisation, an institution which has been formed in order to make people's voices heard," he said.

"The Governor's 'moral' justification can be interpreted very widely, and it is unacceptable in Turkish law and international conventions that a legally formed association could be closed for that reason."

Government officials have made similar legal moves to shut down other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organisations in Turkey.

Kaos GL, based in Ankara, faced a demand for closure from Ankara's deputy governor, Selahattin Ekmenoglu, in 2005. The closure petition was dismissed by prosecutors.

The chairman of Dutch gay rights group COC, Frank van Dalen, says that closing Lambda Istanbul would be against non-discriminatory guidelines issued by the European Union and against the universal right to free speech.

Turkey is a candidate country for EU membership, but concerns about human rights are one factor frustrating negotiations.

The closing of Lambda would be a devastating blow for the European LGBT emancipation movement, according to COC.

Mr Van Dalen called on the Dutch government to not support Turkey's application for EU membership until basic human rights are fully respected by Turkey.



Original Link: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5807.html]]> General http://news.kaosgl.comindex.php?itemid=178 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:31:17 +0300