Turkish government’s crackdown on LGBTI+ community increases day by day

As pride month is celebrated among the LGBTI+ community globally, Turkey’s LGBTI+ community faces a new ban and attack by the government every day. On June 16, Istanbul's Governor announced that he would not allow a pride march in the province and LGBTI+ students at Mimar Sinan University were subjected to attacks.

Friday June 16 2023 05:55 pm

The riot police blockades the MSGSÜ campus prior to students' pride month protest.

Duvar English

Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's contentious remarks targeting the LGBTI+ community in his presidential election speech on May 28, the Turkish authorities escalated their assault on the group throughout June. With each passing day, officials issued a new ban decision and police attack the LGBTI+ groups, intensifying the crackdown.

After the Istanbul Pride Week organization committee has announced that the annual pride celebrations will be held on June 19-25, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül on June 16 targeted the LGBTI+ community on his social media account, “No activity that threatens our family institution, which is the guarantee of our nation and state, is not allowed. We will never allow groups that organize protests without permission.”

In 2022, the police beat and detained 374 people during Istanbul’s Pride March. The prosecutor's office later decided that there was no need for prosecution against the participants of the march.

Milletimizin ve devletimizin teminatı olan aile kurumumuzu tehdit eden hiç bir faaliyete izin verilmemiştir.

İzinsiz gösteri yapan gruplara asla müsade edilmeyecektir…
— Davut GÜL (@gul_davut) June 16, 2023

Private security guards on June 16 attacked LGBTI+ students from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) in Istanbul during a press statement they wanted to organize on their campus for pride month. The riot police also blockaded the MSGSÜ campus.

"Yaşamlarımızdan da haklarımızdan da kampüslerimizden de vazgeçmiyoruz!"

🔴 Fındıklı Kampüsü polis ablukasına alınınca MSGSÜ öğrencileri rotalarını Bomonti'ye çevirdi

📌 LGBTİ+'lar, güvenliğin müdahalesine rağmen basın açıklamasını okumak için direndihttps://t.co/xruDUIafut pic.twitter.com/00VP555qqg
— ÜniKuir (@unikuir) June 16, 2023

Since the beginning of July, many LGBTI+ students have been subjected to attacks and detention because they wanted to organize pride march celebrations.

In addition, Datça District Governorate of Muğla province on June 16 banned all events that were planned to be held within the scope of the LGBTI+ pride week in the district. The governor’s office justified the ban on the pretext of protecting the “peace and security of citizens.” In 2022, the police physically attacked those who participated in the district's first pride week events.