14 LGBTI organizations issued a joint press release regarding the recent pressures against the press and democratic politics.
Source: “14 LGBTİ Hareketi’nden ohale karşı bildiri” (“14 LGBTI Organizations’ response to the State of Emergency”), Siyasi Haber, 16 November 2016 http://siyasihaber3.org/14-lgbti-hareketinden-ohale-karsi-bildiri
14 LGBTI organizations from Ankara, Bursa, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır, Giresun, İstanbul, İzmir and Mersin issued a joint press release regarding the pressures against press and democratic politics.
14 LGBTI organizations reacted to the increasing repression towards dissidence, stating “The ongoing interventions to the media outlets, to HDP, DBP and to the whole realm of politics since November 7 to the latest political coup attempt are unacceptable.”
You can see the full text prepared by 14 LGBTI organizations and the list of signatory organizations below:
Repression towards the social dissidence and arrests
With the declaration of state of emergency following coup attempt on July 15, the government has increased its repression towards the social dissidence and recently arrested 9 writers and administrators from Cumhuriyet daily, co-presidents and deputies of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as well as the politicians from Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayors Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı were arrested. A trustee was appointed to the municipality.
Cumhuriyet daily’s executive editor Murat Sabuncu, publication supervisor Kadri Gürsel, cartoonist Musa Kart, Cumhuriyet Foundation Board members Önder Çelik, Bülent Utku, Mustafa Kemal Güngör, Güray Öz, Hakan Kara, executive editor for the daily’s literature magazine Turhan Günay are currently imprisoned.
HDP Co-Presidents Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş and deputies Gürsel Yıldırım, Ferhat Encü, İdris Baluken, Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Leyla Birlik and Nursel Aydoğan were arrested.
Sebahat Tuncel who was waiting in front of Diyarbakır Courthouse with a group of party members, in order to protest the detention of HDP deputies on Friday in Diyarbakır, was battered and detained with 10 other people. DBP Co-President Sebahat Tuncel has been an advocate for LGBTI rights for years, was arrested after the protest.
The State of Emergency cannot be an excuse to suspend human rights
Extended duration of detentions and torture have become prevalent more than ever. In prisons and on streets, police force’s pressure is threatening our lives and our fundamental human rights.
Freedom of press, that is targeted following the recent decrees through shutting down of newspapers, televisions, magazines and radios, Cumhuriyet newspaper in particular, and democratic politics that is targeted particularly through MPs of HDP and DBP [main opposition parties — trans.] are fundamental human rights. We, the LGBTI organizations whose names are listed below, would like to remind once again that the state of emergency cannot be an excuse to suspend human rights.
With over twenty years of organized struggle, we defended human rights unconditionally. We emphasize that the system, which is trying to assimilate us by destroying all of our ethnic, cultural, religious and sexual differences and hence kill us, should change. Following the recent events, we issue a call for fight once again.
We continue our struggle in spite of the ones trying to wither our colors!
Freedom of press and free politics are irrevocable pillars of democracy. Antidemocratic and tyrannizing practices, arrests, torture, judicial factors, shutting down of newspapers are as a whole a threat to all of us. Social peace, equality, freedom and justice are our only option. Recently, the practices issued by the government are destroying this option, along with the vision and possibility to coexist, withering all colors of the rainbow and condemning us to a gloomy gray.
We will continue our struggle in spite of the ones trying to wither our colors. Together we will overcome the pressure of the State of Emergency and associated decrees. We, people of all sexual orientations, sexual identities, communities, beliefs, ethnicities and genders are more populous!
The practices that took place between November 7 and the recent coup-attempt; the interferences to the press, to HDP and DBP and all political sphere, are unacceptable. We demand an immediate end to detentions and arrests!
Signatory organizations in alphabetic order:
Çanakkale LGBTİ İnisiyatifi, Flu Baykuş, Genç LGBTİ+ Derneği, Gökkuşağı Giresun, Hêvî LGBTİ Derneği, İstanbul LGBTİ Dayanışma Derneği, Kaos GL Derneği, Keskesor Amed LGBTİ, Lambdaistanbul LGBTİ Dayanışma Derneği, LGBTİ Aileleri ve Yakınları Grubu (LİSTAG), Mersin 7 Renk LGBTİ, Özgür Renkler LGBTİ Derneği, Pembe Hayat, SPoD.