Turkish officials arrested over 50 individuals trying to march during Istanbul Pride on Sunday, as part of a crackdown on the event that has continued for almost a decade, according to a report published by The Associated Press.
Turkey Deploys Heavy Police Force
Heavily armed police in front of major sections of the city kept a crowd from forming, forcing organisers to change their initial meeting places several times, the report said.
Several Detentions Including Lawyers and Journalists Reported Across Turkey
Yildiz Tar, editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ+ rights organisation and journal Kaos GL, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that 54 individuals had been detained in Istanbul Pride, including six lawyers. Seven detainees were released by Sunday night while 47 remained in detention, as reported by the AP.
Concerns Over Freedom of Press and LGBTQ+ Rights in Turkey
Meanwhile, the Turkish Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) indicated that at least three journalists were among the detainees, raising fears over freedom of the press as well as the extent of LGBTQ+ rights in Turkey.
Kezban Konukcu, a Member of Parliament from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), who attended the event, also criticised the crackdown. “The palace regime will not remain in power by demonising the LGBTQ community”, the publication quoted Konukcu as saying.
Istanbul Pride, which once saw tens of thousands of people participating in the LGBTQ event every year, has been banned in the country since 2015 as restrictions under the religious conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) started to intensify. Reports suggest that many in Turkey have accused the Erdogan-led government of increasingly targetting the LGBTQ+ community, as it seeks to court more conservative voters while curbing public demonstrations.
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