Pride season is just around the corner all over the world. In Türkiye, LGBTI activists want to demonstrate again for unity and human rights, even though they are threatened by bans and police violence. Sign this petition and call on the Turkish Interior Minister to ensure this year’s Pride is free from any threats, excessive use of force by the police, detention and prosecution.
What’s the problem?
Pride is suppressed worldwide. In Argentina, Pierina Nochetti, a lesbian human rights activist, is on trial for allegedly painting graffiti questioning the disappearance of a young trans man in the city of Necochea. Oklahoma, USA, has some of the worst anti-LGBTI laws targeting transgender and non-binary people, like Nex Benedict, a non-binary teenager who died after being attacked in a restroom.
In Türkiye, LGBTI rights and people are under attack. Hundreds of activists and allies will be gathering for Pride marches, despite such demonstrations being banned since 2015. Before the brutal repression, the parades were joyful, diverse and proud. But since then, the authorities have waged an intense campaign to disrupt public LGBTI events, systematically banning and suppressing Pride marches in Istanbul and elsewhere in the country.
In an increasingly hostile environment, LGBTI rights activists and their allies have continued to demand their rights, including their right to peaceful protest and visibility in public spaces. They are determined not to give up. However, they are subjected to ill-treatment, sometimes including torture, arbitrary detention, prosecution and discrimination.
Join us to prevent a new wave of protest repression. Let’s stand with LGBTI rights activists and their allies to protect them and their right to protest. Let’s work together with the common goal of protecting pride and the brave activists and protesters on the streets.
What can I do to help?
Sign this petition now and call on Türkiye’s Minister of Interior to ensure peaceful Pride marches are protected and allowed to proceed.