In the latest Amnesty Urgent Action letter, the TRU Students’ Union has called on Ali Yerlikaya, the Interior Minister of the Republic of Türkiye, to ensure that Pride marches are allowed to proceed safely and peacefully across the country. The letter urges authorities to end the ongoing pattern of surveillance, intimidation, and arbitrary bans that target 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and their allies.
“When I see 2SLGBTQIA+ people being criminalized just for existing authentically, it strikes at the heart of everything I believe about human dignity and justice,” said Karthika Sunil, Women’s Representative. “This letter was our way of standing up and saying that no one should be silenced for who they are.”
For nearly a decade, Turkish authorities have weaponized legislation to silence Pride celebrations across the country. Since 2015, the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911) and the Law on Provincial Administration (Law No. 5442) have been used to impose sweeping bans on peaceful Pride-related events, including film screenings, picnics, and marches. In 2022 alone, at least 10 Pride events were banned, and more than 530 individuals were detained. In 2023, similar bans in provinces such as Eskişehir, Aydın, and Antalya resulted in 224 arbitrary detentions, targeting peaceful participants, lawyers, journalists, and even bystanders.
This escalating repression is part of a broader pattern in Türkiye of targeting civil society, stifling dissent, and undermining democratic freedoms. The government’s increasingly authoritarian stance threatens the rights of all citizens, not just the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. These actions violate both Türkiye’s own Constitution and its international obligations under agreements like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. When peaceful expression is treated as a threat, it signals a dangerous erosion of the freedoms that underpin any democratic society.
“This isn’t just about Pride marches,” said Sunil. “It’s about whether we’re going to stay silent while a government dismantles the foundations of democracy and human rights. Every time we let this go unchallenged, we risk becoming complicit in that erosion.”
We hope the Interior Minister acts swiftly to uphold Türkiye’s constitutional and international human rights commitments and ensures that Pride events can proceed without fear or interference.
We await a response on this urgent matter.
For More Information
The Amnesty Urgent Actions Program allows the Union to take action regarding international human rights injustices that matter to students. Click this link to see injustices we have addressed previously, and for further information about this issue or to see a copy of the letter, contact the Equity Coordinator below.