Report on LGBTI+ in Turkey published

According to a report by the Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (KAOS GL) in Turkey, at least eight hate killings of LGBTI+ people were committed last year. The authors of the report, entitled “Against All Odds”, are lawyer Kerem Dikmen and human rights expert Defne Güzel. The survey of rights violations in 2021 is based on media reports and statements made by victims to KAOS GL and other non-governmental organisations.

The report notes an increase in violations of the right to freedom of expression. The authors concede that the eight hate killings identified “do not seem to reflect the actual situation” as it only gives the number of incidents investigated. The actual number is most likely much higher.

According to the report, police violated the law prohibiting torture and ill-treatment during demonstrations, affecting hundreds of people. In at least seven incidents, at least twelve people participating in demonstrations were ill-treated or tortured by police. The report states that police mistreatment of LGBTI+ activists turned into torture, particularly during demonstrations at Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University against the appointment of a rector by the Turkish president. LGBTI+ activists were also mistreated during the Women’s March on 8 March 2021 and during the Pride Parade when they were taken into custody.

The report concludes that Turkish state officials and institutions have incited violence and hate crimes against the LGBTI+ community: “The failure of the state with all its officials and institutions to provide access to rights for LGBTI+ persons, their efforts to deny opportunities to these persons, and furthermore their rhetoric and actions directly targeting LGBTI+ persons are the main signs of decline. Despite this all-out assault, it is evident that the LGBTI+ community, as part of the social opposition, is the most dynamic group in the struggle for human rights and is determined to exercise their rights, especially the right to freedom of expression, without bowing to pressure.”