During the Sunday Pride march in Istanbul, the police detained 54 people, of which activists, lawyers and journalists, which provokes criticism of rights protectors.
On Sunday, the Turkish police detained more than 50 people in Istanbul who tried to participate in the Pride to support people claiming LGBTQ+community. These events were banned by the government in 2015, referring to concerns about public security and protection, TASR reports according to AP and Reuters.
Istanbul’s shots showed how the police intervened against a group of rainbow flag activists in the city center, which she then gathered and loaded into police supplies, Reuters says. The Turkish police did not immediately respond at the request for a comment.
The LGBTQ+ Community Activist Yildiz Tar on the X platform said 54 people were detained in Istanbul, including six lawyers in Istanbul. On Sunday evening, seven of them were reportedly released. The Confederation of Progressive Union discs reported that at least three journalists were among the detainees, AP said.
The MP of the Prokurdian Party of Equality of Nations and Democracy (DEM) Kezban Konukca told Reuters that there were at least 30 detainees.
The ruling Party of Justice and Development (AKP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has adopted increasingly sharper rhetoric against the LGBTQ+community over the past decade. In January, Erdogan declared 2025 the year of the family and the declining birth rate in Turkey was described as an existential threat. The LGBTQ+ movement has accused of undermining traditional values, recalls Reuters.
Several groups to protect the rights of the Turkish government have condemned. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International warned that enemy rhetoric and steps towards the LGBTQ+ community contribute to increasing discrimination and violence.
