Turkish authorities arrest over 50 people ahead of Pride march in Istanbul
Among those detained were four lawyers from The Istanbul Bar Association's Human Rights Centre, who called the detentions “arbitrary, unjust, and illegal"
By Aaron Sugg
Over 50 people were arrested in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday (29 June) ahead of a banned LGBTQ+ Pride march, according to reports.
Among those detained were four lawyers from the Istanbul Bar Association’s Human Rights Centre, who called the detentions “arbitrary, unjust, and illegal.”
“Arbitrary, unjust, and illegal detention”
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a rep for the organisation wrote: “Before today’s Istanbul Pride march, four of our colleagues, including members of our Human Rights Centre, along with more than 50 people, were deprived of their liberty through arbitrary, unjust, and illegal detention.”
Istanbul Pride has been banned since 2015 under Turkey’s conservative government, which cites threats to “social peace, family structure, and moral values.”
Despite homosexuality not being criminalised in Turkey, homophobia remains widespread, including at the highest levels of government. President Erdoğan has frequently referred to LGBTQ+ people as “perverts.”
Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ+ rights organisation KaosGL.org, wrote on X that 54 people were detained at Istanbul Pride, including six lawyers. As of Sunday evening, seven had been released, with 47 still in detention.
On Saturday (28 June), Istanbul’s governor, Davut Gül, wrote on X: “These calls, which undermine social peace, family structure, and moral values, are prohibited,”
“No gathering or march that threatens public order will be tolerated,” he added.
Taksim Square, once the main venue for Istanbul Pride, was blocked off by police from early on Sunday.
The arrests come just one day after Budapest Pride went ahead in defiance of a ban, with an estimated 200,000 people attending.