Armenia: Rare display of diversity and unity on Human Rights Day in Yerevan

Day started with reports that Armenia human rights ombudsman office calls for a... "day of silence" on Human Rights Day. ["ՀՀ մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպանի գրասենյակը դեկտեմբերի 10-ը հայտարարել է Լռության օր:"] Very telling of the ombudsman. Over the last year he either kept silence on human rights abuses or - worse - effectively became part of it, by siding with neo-nazi and homophobia. Instead, activists did what they should do on Human Rights Day - act, speak out, protest for human rights.

This year, human rights march in Yerevan was a rare display of diversity and unity. Organised by opposition Armenian National Congress, today's march was unique in a way it was able to unite people of various political, social and ethnic backgrounds, including anarchists, LGBT activists, feminists, with a wide rights agenda.

There were no attacks towards bearers of rainbow flag, like during anti-Putin demo a week ago, even police was behaving pretty civilised. [see P.S. towards the end] It was like a dream come true, even if for a moment. But this is a picture of Armenia I want to see more and more often, and eventually as a matter of routine.

"Everyone is different, everyone is equal" - as per reports, activists were chanting this slogan during the march too. Guys, you rock!!

@Sevak_change: Էսօր #մարդու #իրավունք-ների #երթ-ի ժամանակ մարդիկ ի թիվս այլ լոզունգների բղավում էին «ԲՈԼՈՐՍ ՏԱՐԲԵՐ, ԲՈԼՈՐՍ ՀԱՎԱՍԱՐ»:

Ընտիր էր: Միասնական, սոլիդար: Շատ լավ անցավ:

*pictures - via ourmine

I love this video by epress.am. Pay attention to feminist statement towards the beginning of the  video; also what people chanting when passing by Russian embassy; and in general the sense of diversity and unity. Awesome.



And another cool video with rainbow flag, feminist symbolism and "Secular Armenia" poster.



P.S. After this post was published, I was told that there was small incident after the march when woman war veteran tried shouting at activist Lala Aslikyan to put down rainbow flag. But the incident did not get escalated to any significant effect.

Activists from 13 countries, including Armenia and Georgia, met in Ankara for regional initiative to combat homophobia

‘People against homophobia’ from the Caucasus, Middle East and Balkans came to Turkey for “Regional Network Against Homophobia” initiative, within the scope of the International Meeting Against Homophobia to mark IDAHO.

Activists from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Bosnia, Lebanon, Serbia, Croatia, Palestine, Israel, Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro and Egypt were present in Ankara on 20 May.

Kaos GL, LGBT group in Turkey, hosted the meeting, with the aim at establishing a Middle East, Caucasus and Balkans LGBTT Network for solidarity in the struggle against homophobia.

The meeting was concluded on 22 May with anti-homophobia march in Ankara.

For more pictures and relevant links, see Antihomofobi.

Turkey: LGBT rights report, novel about transsexual, gay referee scandal, homophobic media, and gay pride in Istanbul

Over the last couple of months, some important developments happened in Turkey related to LGBT rights in the country. Below is a selection of links which reflect the main news:

1. Report: Human rights violations against LGBT people in Turkey 2008

2. Report warns: continuing homophobia in the media

In a published report entitled "End Homophobia in the Media", the Kaos GL association criticised the continued use of stereotypes and display of homophobia.

3. Istanbul: 3,000 People in LGBTT Pride March

The 17th LGBTT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite and transsexual) Pride Week ended with a Pride March in Taksim, central Istanbul, on Sunday (28 June).

Read also Elizabeth's personal reflections: Istanbul Pride (+ photo, above)

4. Gay referee scandal:

The Independent: Gay referee gets red card in Turkey
(+ photo, via AFP/Getty Images)

After coming out on TV, Halil Dincdag sues football federation over sacking.

EurasiaNet: Football referee, barred for being homosexual, fights for rights

5. Novel about Transsexual Banned for Under-18s

A Prime Ministerial board has banned advertisement for the novel "Third Class Woman" by Anıl Alacaoğlu.

Turkey: Sex Workers Protest for More Rights

Sex workers in Istanbul and Ankara have protested on occasion of International Sex Workers' Rights Day (3 March). They demand acceptance of their work as an occupation and the right to organise.

Bıanet
4 March 2009
Emine ÖZCAN

“Unfortunately, we cannot celebrate International Sex Workers Day, because we are always faced with violence. The police is also practising and reinforcing this violence.”

Representing around 20 sex workers who had gathered in front of Istanbul’s Galatasaray Highschool in Beyoğlu, Eylem Çağdaş read a statement.

Call for constitutional rights

She said, “We want neither discrimination nor privilege. We only want to make use of the constitutional rights we were all given at birth. Respecting sex work is not a favour, it is a constitutional responsibility.”

The protesters carried red umbrellas, an internationally used symbol on the day. The day originated in 2001 when over 25 000 sex workers gathered in India for a sex worker festival. The organisers wanted to celebrate the lives of sex workers as well as highlight sex workers' determination and strength. Sex worker groups across the world have subsequently celebrated 3 March as International Sex Workers' Rights Day.

One protester, Derya, told bianet: “We don’t have anywhere to work, so we are forced to walk the streets. But there we may face death. This week a friend of ours was savagely beaten. If I don’t work, how will I get by?”

The statement was signed by the Women’s Door (Kadın Kapısı), Lambdaistanbul LGBTT Solidarity Association, Amargi Women’s Solidarity Cooperative, the Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party (DSİP), the Global Action Group (KEG) and the Solidarity Network against Sexism.

Protest in Ankara

In Ankara, the day was marked by a group of around 50 people carrying placards and red umbrellas. The protest was organised by the Ankara Red Umbrella Sex Workers’ Initiative.

Some of the placards read, “Health is also a right for sex workers”, “We want a world without bosses and pimps”, “End police violence”, “End the labour hierarchy” and “Sex work is also labour”.

The protesters made the following demands:

- Sex workers’ rights to life, personal freedom and personal safety have to be guaranteed
- Sex work must also be accepted as a profession and certain standards must be set
- Healthy and safe spaces must be provided
- Sex workers must be able to benefit from social security rights just like other citizens
- The right to organise must be safeguarded
- Discriminating laws must be abolished, discrimination and police violence must end

Around 100,000 sex workers

According to data from the initiative, there are 56 brothels in Turkey with around 3,000 women work as registered sex workers there.

In the whole of Turkey, 15,000 women work as registered sex workers. However, many women and men work in this sector unofficially. Refugee and transsexual sex workers are not included in these numbers either.

The initiative estimates that there are up to 100,000 sex workers in Turkey.

In Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir alone, around 30,000 women are waiting in line to get a license to work in a brothel.

This year is the first year that the day has been marked in Turkey. The Red Umbrella Initiative was founded last year and it was then decided to mark the day in 2009. The iniative is working towards becoming a trade union.

Turkey LGBT news update: Bülent Ersoy, Lambda Istanbul, EU report, UN statement, PEN Turkey

1. Famous transsexual Turkish singer Bülent Ersoy (I wrote about her case in one of my earlier posts) has been acquitted of charges of criticising mandatory military service in Turkey. The decision was made on grounds of freedom of speech during a court hearing:

The law firm of Muhittin Yuzuak says Friday that their client, singer Bulent Ersoy, was acquitted during a hearing Thursday on grounds of freedom of speech. Ersoy is one of Turkey’s best-loved singers.

Ersoy has acknowledged saying on television that if she had children she would not want them to join the army to battle Kurdish rebels who are fighting for self-rule.
The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, is pressing the nation to do away with laws that stifle free expression.

Under EU pressure, Turkey amended a law in April that barred the denigration of Turkish identity and institutions. But human rights groups say the changes did not go far enough.

Bianet also reported the case:

Famous transsexual singer Bülent Ersoy is acquitted of the accusation of “alienating people from military service”, which she faced for her words during a TV show that if she had a son she would not send him to the war with the PKK in the east.

2. Court overturns shutdown of Istanbul-based Turkish gay rights group Lambda Istanbul (via Kaos):

Turkey's Supreme Court on Nov. 27 overturned a decision to dissolve the gay group Lambda Istanbul.

A lower court had agreed with city officials who claimed the organization was unlawful, immoral and against family values.

“Finally, justice has arrived,” Lambda said in an English-language statement. “We are stronger now with the overturn of the decision to close down Lambda Istanbul LGBTT Solidarity Association. As people who face violence, who get expelled from our jobs, who are excluded and isolated, who are denied their legal rights, our voices will now multiply; and as the LGBTT movement we will be louder when we shout out our right to equality.”

“Decisions influenced by prejudices will remain inevitable, and inequality, discrimination and intense human rights violations will prevail as long as ‘sexual orientation' and ‘gender identity' are not added to the equality clause of the constitution,” the group said.

Lambda has been in existence since 1993 and has been officially registered for two years. The group continued to operate during the appeals process.

3. Previously, the EU Commission issued a report on Turkey reflecting the state with the LGBT rights specifically mentioning Lambda Istanbul case and more, including the rejection of registration of the Turkish Armenian Business Development Council:

The registration of the Turkish Armenian Business Development Council was rejected by the Governorate of Istanbul, without clear legal grounds. Following a case brought by the Istanbul Governorate, an Istanbul court decided in May to close down a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual (LGBTT) association. The Istanbul Governorate is accusing Amnesty International (AI) of illegal money collection. The competent Istanbul Administrative Court heard the case and decided in favor of AI. The Governor has appealed the case before the Council of State.

4. Regarding the UN statement against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a statement issued by a LGBT Rights Platform composed of various LGBT organizations and initiatives in Turkey called for Turkish government to endorse it. LGBT rights groups specifically noted that “The Turkish government is one of the only candidates to European Union that has declined to support” the groundbreaking UN statement.

Following the UN statement, Turkish Hurriyet newspaper said that “Turkey breaks company with EU in gay vote”.

In an atmosphere where Turkey is being criticized for the slow pace of its EU reforms, the country refuses to sign a declaration calling all states to take steps to stop the criminalization of homosexuality, contradicting its commitments to the EU in promoting human rights. […]

"It’s very frustrating for Turks who wish the state to become a member of the EU. Turkey’s position with regard to this issue is more important than Cyprus to us," an EU ambassador told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review after it became clear that Ankara declined to join the 27 EU countries who endorsed the groundbreaking initiative. […]

"Turkey is the only country among the candidate members of the EU that refused to sign the declaration," said Barış Sulu, head of Ankara-based Pembe Hayat, one of the leading Turkish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, association. "We want the government to protect and encourage everyone to protect human rights for everyone without discriminating the sexual identity or sexual tendencies," Sulu added.

Homosexuality is not a crime according to Turkish laws. However, "we are not defined in the Turkish constitution’s prohibition of discrimination or the social and civil rights," said Ozan Gezmiş, an activist from the MorEl Eskişehir LGBT group. "We are ignored and ignorance is the utmost violence," Gezmiş said.

"Turkey should vote for human rights on this issue, if it regards itself as a European country. But, we all know this is Turkey’s contradiction, where it tries to be European while on the other hand, acting parallel to Islam countries," Pelin Kalkan said, speaking on behalf of Ankara-based Kaos GL, another leading Turkish LGBT organization.

5. And the latest news. PEN Turkey calls the government to recognise the rights of LGBT people.

Tarık Günersel, President of PEN Turkey, called upon the government and the public to take action to respect the rights of the homosexuals.

Reminding that 64 countries signed the decision to end making homosexualism a crime at the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Günersel said, “The rights of the homosexuals are a part of the human rights that cannot be ignored.”

Sayin “The Turkish government must realize, accept and confirm this fact”, the President of the PEN Turkey said, “It is much better to be the 65th than the 165th.”

Piramid LGBTT - world's first Kurdish gay rights group

Thanks to the reader of Unzipped: Gay Armenia, below is the link to the blog of world's first Kurdish gay rights group - Piramid LGBTT (in Kurdish and Turkish):

http://piramidgl.blogspot.com/

"They are based in northern Kurdistan in the city of Diyarbakir. They are very active and arranging demonstrations, lectures, debates etc. This year was the first year ever that a gay organisation participated in the Kurdish Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir and in all of Kurdistan!"

In fact, in March 2008 I posted the story (mentioned above by the reader of this blog) on Kurdish gay rights group's first ever participation in Newroz celebration:

http://gayarmenia.blogspot.com/2008/03/gay-kurds-in-turkey-unfold-rainbow-flag.html

As I do not know Kurdish or Turkish, I won't be able to personally follow the blog, but will appreciate updates from readers of this blog who know either of these languages.

Turkey: LGBTT march for slained transsexual İnce

*Bianet reports

Transsexual Dilek İnce, who was killed by a gun shot in Ankara, was interred by family and friends. The members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite and Transsexual (LGBTT) Rights Platform marched to the Prime Ministry to protest the killing.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexsual, Transvestite and Transsexual (LGBTT) Rights Platform held an activity in Kızılay, Ankara and protested the death of Dilek İnce, who was killed by a gun attack.

After İnce’s funeral, a group of about hundred people marched down the Yüksel Street wearing shrouds protesting the hate killings against the member of the LGBTTs.

“We do not know who is next”

Reading the press release on behalf of the group, Serra Can asked, “how long are you going to watch our getting killed by fueling homophobic and transphobic hatred.”

Stating that İnci was killed by the hetero-sexist hatred, Can said, “We are sad and angry, because we have come here from the cemetery. We are angry, because we do not know which one of our gay and transsexual friend is next.”

“Who killed transsexual İnce at the Capitol by a pump-gun and will they be caught? Who killed gay Ahmet Yılda by a gun and why the Istanbul police has not found the killers yet? Who forced gay Ege Tanyürek to suicide in Adıyaman.”

“Prime Minister, is it not a crime to discriminate between the citizens?”

Saying that they are in fear and anxiety, Can called out to the Prime Minister.

“Mister Prime Minister we are asking you if the homosexuals and transsexuals are not citizens. Is it not a crime to discriminate between the citizens? We are asking you if their killers will be found. Will the prosecutors and the judges quit releasing them because of excessive provocation? We are asking you who will protects our lives and provide our security. We are in fear and anxiety, because we do not know how many homosexuals and transsexuals will the Prime Minister’s citizens who lost their patience kill? We are curious if Mister Prime Minister will create the just and peaceful society by using fear?

Can said the doors their knock to receive justice are not opened to them.

“We have knocked their doors, we have screamed, we have worn shrouds…They kill us just because we are homosexuals, just because we are transsexuals. We seek justice, but we do not get any. It is not much we want; we just don’t want to be killed for out identities of sexual orientation.”

Announcing that “The killing of homosexuals and transsexuals is a political act, we know the killers, the platform leader said, “We will not quit going after these events.”

After the press release was read, the participants marched to the building of the Prime Ministry Human Rights Presidency, clapping their hands and chanting slogans. Demanding the murderers must be caught, they left a kefen in front of the building.

Her friends and her husband bid farewell to İnce

İnce was killed by a gun shot received at an attack in Etlik, Ankara. More than 70 people, including her friends and her husband, were at the funeral.

Umut Güner of Kaos GL told bianet that despite the belief that the people of LGBTT orientation die alone, İnce was not alone. (BÇ/EÜ/TB)

*This news report was prepared with the help received from kaosgl.org

Turkey: Transexuals and transvestites under police pressure

Police are putting increasing pressure on transsexuals and transvestites, a prominent human rights organization complained at a recent press meeting, daily Taraf reported yesterday.

"The police are only ignoring our complaints and keep pressuring us. They are arresting transsexuals not based on the law but however they want," said one member of the Women's Door Association.

The meeting also included the Lambda Istanbul Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual, or LGBTT, Solidarity Association, which has been threatened with closure by the courts in recent months.

Speakers at the meeting said the police were charging transvestites and transsexuals fines based on a law called the “misdemeanor law.”

“We have complained to the police about what is happening. But the pressures have only increased. During the past month, they started checking our ID when walking down the street and even putting us in their cars, driving far out of the city and leaving us in abandoned places," said sociologist Eylem Çağdaş. "There are police cars with black windows driving around our houses."

The statement by the association was also supported by other NGOs, such as the Red Umbrella Sex Workers' Network and Global Action Group.

*source (11 September 2008 - Turkish Press Scanner)

**Read also:

Police officers in Turkey on trial for assaulting transsexual

Famous transsexual singer sued for "alienating people from military service"

Fighting back tears on stage - a standing ovation to Turkish transsexuals

Police officers in Turkey on trial for assaulting transsexual

Bianet reports that two police officers in Turkey who beat up and insulted transsexual Esmeray a year ago will be eventually put on trial for “bashing and insulting”. Date of the hearing has yet to be set.

“According to Esmeray’s account, she was stopped by a police officer while going back to her home and yelled at for taking the route forbidden to her. The yelling was followed by a punch to her eye and kicks by the other police officers when she hit the ground.”

Despite police “apologies”, Esmeray decided to take the matter to the court since “this was nothing new. Passing by the street in front of the police station (which happens to be one of the major streets in Taksim area in Istanbul and open to public) has been banned to the transvestites and transsexuals for a while.” Esmeray wanted to know if this was legal. She filed her complaint so that others would not have to go through this human rights violation again.”

According to further reports, there was another reported police assault towards Esmeray this May, and the office of prosecutor in Istanbul has already launched an investigation into that incident.

This case proves that even in societies where homophobia is prevalent and the application of law is questionable, to say the least, it is possible to achieve some progress if you do not give up and use all possible legal means to fight for your human rights.

"A little bit of gay history was made in the Turkish capital"

■ The march in Konur Street, Ankara.

Despite widespread homophobia and discrimination, as evidenced in a report released today by Human Rights Watch, UKGayNews says that "a little bit of gay history was made in the Turkish capital on Saturday afternoon" where LGBT activists staged their first ever Gay March to mark International Day Against Homophobia:

Over 100 gay men and women, bisexuals and transgender people assembled in front of the human rights monument in Yuksel Street for a march to Parliament on International Day Against Homophobia jointly organised by Kaos Gay and Lesbian Association and Pink Life LGBTT Association.

Joining local activists were Michael Cashman MRP, the president of the European Parliament’s all-party Intertroup for gay and lesbian rights, and Dutch feminist and author Anja Meulenbelt.

The march encountered minor difficulty. The police, who outnumbered the demonstrators, stopped the march and demanded that the rainbow flags and banners be taken down.

Marchers agreed and were then allowed to continue. There were not other problems.

“I found these two days and in particular the march deeply moving,” said Mr. Cashman.

“There were barely one hundred of us, and it was a reminder to me of how we in countries like the UK take our rights for granted.

“Those Turkish women and men on that march are heroes and warriors who are prepared to put themselves on the front line to achieve equality. I will never forget them and our sense of solidarity.”

Mr. Cashman also spoke at Friday’s conference on LGBT rights and IDAHO where he said that with “courage and conviction”, equality will become a reality.

Earlier on Friday, Mr. Cashman had a meeting with The Queen, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and the Prime Minister of Turkey. The Queen was on a state visit to Turkey.

■ Kursad Kahramanoglu (former ILGA-Europe general secretary), Michael Cashman and Anja Meulenbelt (Dutch feminist author)

*photos - by Ismail Alacaoglu, courtesy KAOS GL, via UKGayNews

The 2008 Homophobia Hall of Shame

Human Rights Watch

The president of Poland, the leader of Uganda, and the UK Home Office are making prejudicial policies and public statements that deny people’s dignity and endanger their lives, Human Rights Watch said today in its annual “Hall of Shame” to mark the International Day Against Homophobia.

On May 17, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups in dozens of countries will commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, an initiative launched in 2005 that commemorates the day in 1990 when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its roster of disorders. 

“Homophobia allows political leaders to smear loving relationships, smash the doors of houses, and slam the doors of a safe haven that should welcome refugees,” said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “Where prejudice trumps privacy and intolerance stifles intimacy, no one’s rights are safe and no one’s place is secure.” 

Inductees to the "Hall of Shame"
Human Rights Watch named three leaders to the “Hall of Shame” for their actions in the past year in endangering LGBT people’s dignity, families, and safety: 

President Lech Kaczynski of Poland: for denying people respect for their family. Kaczynski and his allies – including his brother, the former prime minister – have campaigned for years to deny basic rights to Poland’s LGBT people. In March 2008, in a nationally televised speech, Kaczynski railed against ratifying the European Union Reform Treaty, which would adopt the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. He claimed that provisions in the charter prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation would force legal recognition of same-sex relationships. He used film clips of the Canadian marriage ceremony of the US couple Brendan Fay and Thomas Moulton to warn of the “dangers” of legalizing same-sex marriage. 
Fay and Moulton spoke out against how the president exploited their relationship. Eventually, they visited Poland to send a message that their marriage was a promise and affirmation, not a threat to others. Kaczynski is only one among many public figures worldwide who attack LGBT people’s families for political ends. In Guatemala in 2007, Congress debated a bill to eliminate single-parent or other non-nuclear families from the definition of “family,” and bar same-sex couples from any form of legal recognition. A proposed measure in Romania would define heterosexual marriage as the basis of the family, depriving many Romanian families of basic civil rights. In the name of protecting a particular model of the family, such measures deny innumerable families desperately needed protections. 

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda: for denying people privacy and security. In August 2007, after a coalition of LGBT organizations in Uganda launched a campaign called “Let Us Live in Peace,” the government showed it had no intention of doing so. Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo publicly called homosexuality “unnatural”; while dismissing claims that police harassed LGBT people, he warned, “We know them, we have details of who they are.” The deputy attorney general called for the arrest of gays and lesbians, “because homosexuality is an offense under the laws of Uganda.” 
LGBT Ugandans have faced official harassment for years. In 2005, authorities raided the home of human rights defender Juliet Victor Mukasa and forced her into hiding. Government officials have censored media discussions of homosexuality and threatened to respond to any advocacy for LGBT rights with prison terms. 
A colonial-era sodomy law in Uganda punishes homosexual conduct with life imprisonment. Worldwide, over 85 countries criminalize consensual homosexual conduct. Such laws give governments like Uganda’s a pretext to invade people’s private lives and deny them an essential right: to live in peace. 

Home Office, United Kingdom: for denying people protection. People fleeing countries where they face abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity often face asylum systems that fail to recognize the reality of their persecution, despite clear legal obligations not to deport individuals to countries where they are at risk of torture and abuse. The recent ordeal of the Iranian asylum-seeker Mehdi Kazemi, who in 2007 faced deportation from the United Kingdom to Iran – despite laws imposing torture and the death penalty for homosexual conduct in Iran – points to how the UK Home Office is failing to implement its human rights responsibilities. In 2008, Lord West of Spithead, Home Office minister in the UK House of Lords, said: “We are not aware of any individual who has been executed in Iran in recent years solely on the grounds of homosexuality, and we do not consider that there is systematic persecution of gay men in Iran.” 
“An asylum system where only the dead are found deserving is an asylum system that does not work,” said Long. “Human rights law demands that those who face persecution be given protection, but persecution does not require corpses to prove it.” 
Human rights law forbids deporting people – including LGBT people – to places where they risk torture and serious abuse. 

Recent Progress in LGBT Rights

Human Rights Watch has also pointed to three areas where advances in human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have given reason for hope.

In Colombia, the nation’s Constitutional Court has handed down landmark decisions protecting LGBT people’s rights in the sphere of relationship and family. It extended health care benefits and pension benefits to same-sex partners on a basis equal to those enjoyed in heterosexual relationships, and condemned the lack of legal protection for same-sex relationships. The decisions cited human dignity, personal autonomy, and equality as the core principles behind these decisions. The court has shown leadership to the country’s Congress, which has debated at least six legislative initiatives to protect LGBT people’s families in the last decade, without enacting any of them into law.  

In Ireland, the High Court finally ended a transgender woman’s 10-year legal struggle for state recognition, by ruling that the government had to grant her identity papers corresponding to the gender she lived in. The decision marked the first time that the High Court had ever found an Irish law incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The “Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Law in Relation to Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” which spell out international legal standards for protecting against violence and discrimination, state that: “Each person’s self-defined sexual orientation and gender identity is integral to their personality and is one of the most basic aspects of self-determination, dignity and freedom.”  

In Nepal, after years of civil war accompanied by violence targeting lesbians, gays, and transgender people, the Supreme Court on December 17, 2007, mandated legal and constitutional protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. The landmark decision requires that LGBT people’s human rights be addressed in the process of reconciliation and reform, and may make Nepal a regional leader in addressing discrimination.

“In each of these cases, dedicated judges have upheld rights and the rule of law in the face of prejudice,” said Long. “Their commitment to principle should be an example to political leaders.” 

March against homophobia to be staged in Ankara

UKGayNews reports that to mark International Day Against Homophobia LGBT groups in Turkey plan to hold a "March Against Homophobia” in the capital Ankara on 17 May, for the first time.

“We are marching against homophobia and transphobia this year for the first time,” the organisers said in a statement.

PinkNews details that "the march will start at the Human Rights Monument in the Turkish capital and end at the National Assembly."

Authors, journalists and human rights activists will be marching under the rainbow flag. Michael Cashman (UK) - one of only two out gay MEPs in the 785-member European Parliament - will join the march.

Famous transsexual Turkish singer sued for “alienating people from military service”

Turkey's penal code definitely does not suffer from the lack of articles restricting freedom of expression.

And it is not only that infamous article 301 on "denigrating Turkishness" which recently underwent cosmetic changes only. There is also article 318 on “alienating people from military service” under which a famous transsexual Turkish singer Bülent Ersoy is being sued now.

Bianet reports:

In a TV show during the Northern Iraq military operation, the famous singer Ersoy demanded “solution instead of death” and Bakırköy Public Prosecutor sues her for “alienating people from military service.”

The famous transsexual singer Bülent Ersoy is sued for “alienating people from military service.”

According to daily Taraf, the authorities decided to open a case against Ersoy for “alienating people from military service” after investigating her words regarding how she would not sent her son to someone else’s war, which were said during a TV show.

Her words which brought the case were: “If I had given birth to a child and someone sitting at a desk had said ‘You will do this, he will do that’, and I would have buried my child, would I accept that?”

According to the report mentioned above, Bakırköy Public Prosecutor Ali Çakır asked for three year prison sentence for Bülen Ersoy, claiming that she committed the crime of “alienating people from military service.” Not only that the public prosecutor did not see Ersoy’s explanations within the context of freedom of expression and critique, he also included her speech in the scope of article 318, which regulates the deed of “alienating people from military service”, found under the category of crimes committed against the national defense, and thus first asked for two year prison sentence.

Ersoy gave her statement to the Public Prosecutor Ali Çakır on March 14.

***

Turkey's gay magazine publishes 100th edition

On a more positive note, Turkey's first and only gay magazine “Kaos GL,” being produced for 15 years has been published for the 100th time (Turkish Daily News):

"The latest edition of the magazine includes articles and interviews by renowned personalities such as, Adnan Yıldız, Aksu Bora, Ayşe Düzkan, Kürşad Kahramanoğlu, Murathan Mungan, Tanıl Bora, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Yıldırım Türker, Naim Dilmener and Zeynep Aksoy. They all contributed to the 100th edition.

  The magazine, which was just an eight-page photocopy when it was first published, has played an important role in drawing attention to the rights of homosexuals.

  The edition covers 100 songs, films and books that have an important place in homosexual culture. There is an interview with Hande Yener, the famous Turkish pop singer, who was chosen as Turkey's “gay icon” in a poll of Kaos GL readers. Letters from gay parents are also part of the content. "

*source of photo - Wikipedia

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner calls for specific legal provisions in Armenia to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation

As I wrote back in October 2007, for the first time, gay rights were on the agenda of European Human Rights chief's visit to Armenia. On 7 October, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, met with representatives of We For Civil Equality (WFCE) NGO, the first LGBT-related NGO in Armenia which was formally registered in July 2006. Mr Hammarberg held meetings with a range of Armenian human rights and non-governmental organisations, along with Armenian authorities, including president, prime minister and head of parliament. As I mentioned back than, it was an important opportunity for Armenian LGBT representatives to present the situation with gay rights in Armenia in its broader context and lobby equality and anti-discrimination legislation.

During my meeting in Yerevan with head of WFCE, I was told that Hammerberg was very attentive to the situation with gay rights, homophobia and Armenian LGBT community, in general. He promised to include these points in his upcoming Human Rights report on Armenia

I am glad that Thomas Hammarberg kept his promise and in a report released today there are special reflections on LGBT rights in Armenia under the “Discrimination” and “Recommendations” chapters:

VIII. Discrimination

3. LGBT

155. Since the adoption of the new Criminal Code (2003), same-sex acts are no longer a criminal offence in Armenia (under the old Criminal Code, same sex acts were punishable by imprisonment for up to five years). However, the legal framework in Armenia does not expressly protect LGBT people from discrimination, harassment and violence. The Commissioner therefore calls for the elaboration and adoption of specific legislative provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

156. During his visit, the Commissioner was informed by representatives of the LGBT community about cases of violence and discrimination encountered by LGBT people, including cases of students kicked out from universities, deprivation of housing and discriminatory treatment in healthcare institutions.

157. Homophobia is reportedly widespread in society and politics, and the media are silent on cases of violence against LGBT persons. As a 2005 UNESCO report noted, “public opinions on homosexuality are rather tough: traditional Armenian society rejects displays of non-heterosexual relations.” It thus comes as no surprise that LGBT people are invisible in society and that the LGBT community is fragmented and vulnerable. Nevertheless, the NGO “We for the civil equality” is working on improvement of the position of LGBT people. The Commissioner encourages the work of other NGOs that promote equality for LGBT people, in particular by raising awareness as well as providing support to those whose rights are violated, in particular victims of violence.

158. The Commissioner welcomes the reported positive change of attitude of law enforcement authorities towards the LGBT community and encourages dialogue between the LGBT community and the authorities.

X. Recommendations

Fundamental freedoms

29. Prevent violence and discrimination against LGBT community; elaborate and adopt specific legal provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; conduct dialogue with organisations representing the LGBT community.

Full report is available here

Armenia participated in ILGA-Asia regional conference

Although a member of European Region of International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), for the first time, Armenia participated in the 3rd ILGA-Asia Regional conference held in Chiang Mai, Thailand - 24 - 27 January 2008.

Acoording to "We For Civil Equality" (WFCE) Armenian LGBT NGO January newsletter, its head participated in this conference of about 160 lesbian, gay and human rights activists from both Asian and non-Asian countries.

"The conference was hosted by the Committee on Lesbigay Rights in Burma (CLRB) and M-Plus, a local gay group which runs a drop-in centre. Armenia was chairing plenary on transgender issues in Asia. A workshop was done on transgender issues and by Armenia’s initiative it was decided that Pan-Asian Transgenders Association will be established. The role of "We For Civil Equality" will be some kind of bridge between Europe and Asia."

"A street parade was held in the city for the first time as over 200 conference attendees, observers and members of the local LGBT community marched from the Buddhist Centre (Puttastan) to Pantip Plaza on Saturday night."

I certainly welcome this participation which indicates an increasing involvement of Armenian LGBT activists in various regional projects and collaborations.
***

Just one 'technical' remark: WFCE January newsletter states in relation to this news that "Geographically and politically Armenia is a part of Europe but culturally and morality is a part of Asia." While I would not go into debate as to which continent Armenia belongs to "geographically, politically or culturally", it seems everlasting and opinions differ, I find it bizarre the part about "morality". I personally would go for "politically and culturally - Europe", and geographically - Wikipedia description of Armenia as "transcontinental nation". As to "morality", that notion is the vaguest to define, and one could argue that "morality"-wise Armenia is closer to Greece or Balkan countries etc. In any case, I'd rather not mention "morality" at all.

Fighting back tears on stage – a standing ovation to Turkish transsexuals

It’s tough to be gay in Turkey. It’s even tougher to be transsexual there. Discrimination and persecutions are common. Struggle of LGBT people in Turkey to reconcile their sexuality with religious beliefs ads to complexities. But as this report by AFP proves, things are changing in Turkey, as despite widespread homophobia, LGBT people make their presence more visible, and use different platforms to voice their protest against discrimination. Prospect of EU membership helps, indeed. Well worth reading and taking notes on similarities, differences, potential influences and developments in South Caucasus too.

*Turkish transsexual Sera Can puts make up on back stage before her performance in Ankara, 14 January 2008. (AFP)

ANKARA (AFP) - A unique play in an Ankara theatre ended with a standing ovation this week as the little-known actors -- transsexuals and gays raising their voice against discrimination -- fought back their tears on stage.

Their play, "Pink And Grey," put the spotlight on the plight of transsexuals in mainly Muslim Turkey, in the latest initiative of a fledgling but increasingly vocal movement for rights by a community long ostracized and often harassed.

Beaming with pride and excitement, the amateur stars, male-to-female transsexuals Derya Tunc and Sera Can, received congratulations in the boisterous backstage, taking a welcome respite from their actual jobs as sex workers.

"Despite all the discrimination we face, I have no regrets for what I am," Can cheerfully told AFP. "My only regret is having ended up in the prostitution sector."

Almost all transsexuals and transvestites in Turkey make their living as prostitutes. They say they have no other option in a society where homophobia is strong and often accompanied by violence.

Three quarters of Turks say they are "disturbed" by homosexuals, a recent opinion survey showed, although many gays today are recognized as being among the country's most prominent singers and fashion designers.

Notoriously harsh against transsexual prostitutes, police have been accused of arbitrary round-ups, mistreatment, torture and rough "clean-up" operations in several Istanbul neighbourhoods popular with transsexuals.

Activists say police abuse declined in recent years as the homosexual and transgender movement became organised and Turkey's bid to join the European Union made human rights a priority issue.

"Before, the police used violence -- now they only fine us," said Buse Kilickaya, the head of Pembe Hayat, or Pink Life, a newly-founded association that advocates transgender rights and sponsored "Pink and Grey."

She pointed to the ongoing trial of four people over an assault on transvestite and transsexual prostitutes in Ankara's Eryaman suburb in 2006, which left several seriously injured.

The victims were attacked by young men wielding sticks and knives who were allegedly encouraged by local authorities and property developers; their flats were ransacked and they were eventually forced to flee the neighbourhood.

Attorney Senem Doganoglu, a supporter of Pink Life, said transvestites and transsexuals continue to be arbitrarily detained and could end up in a police station simply for showing up in the street.

"I had a case in which one was detained when she went out in the evening to buy bread," Doganoglu said.

Prostitution is not a crime in Turkey, so the police use a law that provides for fines for disturbing public order to pursue transsexual sex workers, she explained.

That the advocacy of conservative values by the governing Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) "is fostering the existing climate of intolerance," she said.

Islam's impact on sexual freedoms, however, has proven to be a tricky issue in secular Turkey, where same-sex relationships and sex change operations are allowed, unlike in many other Muslim countries, and homosexual traditions can be traced back to the palaces of Ottoman sultans.

One of Turkey's best-known gays, prominent fashion designer Cemil Ipekci, made the headlines this month as he praised the AKP, described himself as a "conservative homosexual" and said he would have worn the Islamic headscarf had he been a woman.

And a transgender association in Ankara has called for a special mosque where its members can pray without disturbing the conventional Muslim flock.

"They cannot deny us the right to pray for salvation, can they?" asked group leader Oksan Oztok.

Activists hope discrimination will decrease as they become better organised and more vocal.

"We know things cannot change overnight. But there is progress already and we will continue to fight," Kilickaya said as she and her fellows excitedly discussed the date of the next "Pink and Grey" performance.

European gay activists gather for annual conference in Vilnius amid controversy

ILGA-Europe [European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association] members gather for annual conference in Vilnius, but their public event is banned by Mayor

On 25-28 October 2007, almost 200 delegates from all over Europe gather in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius for the 11th ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference. While the Conference goes ahead, the Rainbow Flag public event planned by the Lithuanian hosts during the conference was banned by the Mayor of Vilnius. A legal challenge of the ban has been already initiated.

ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference is traditionally an opportunity for ILGA –Europe members to gather together to discuss the organisational priorities, strategies and tactics on advancing equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Europe. The Annual Conference is also ILGA-Europe’s annual general meeting when new board members are elected and various organisational issues and documents are discussed and adopted. During this year’s conference the delegates will discuss ILGA-Europe’s strategic plan for 2008-2011.

During the conference’s workshops, plenary panels and sessions, a variety of subjects will be discussed: addressing the rights of LGBT people at the UN level, mental health needs of LGBT people, inclusion of trans issues in lobbying and advocacy work, reacting to religious right, making trade unions LGBT friendly, developing advocacy strategies, using video in monitoring LGBT human rights abuses, reconciling sexuality and spirituality, and many more topics.
[...]

Unfortunately, the public event to coincide with the Annual Conference and display a 30 meters long rainbow flag was once again banned by the Mayor of Vilnius. Instead the Rainbow Flag Reception inside the Conference hotel is taking place. Deborah Lambillotte, Co-Chair of ILGA-Europe’s Executive Board, said:

“We are appalled that an EU member states repeatedly violates the right to a free and peaceful assembly. We are glad that the Lithuanian Gay League has already initiated legal proceedings against the Vilnius City Council which did not authorised the Rainbow Flag event during our conference. We hope that our conference and our presence in Vilnius will attract international attention and pressure on the Mayor of Vilnius. Our message is simple and clear – LGBT people have the same right to express their views and concerns publicly, and as any other citizen of the European Union, to enjoy the rights guaranteed in the Lithuanian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. We feel sorry that the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in a similar case does not mean much to the Mayor of Vilnius and that the court rooms will need to be used to get this message to him."

* ILGA-Europe press release

P.S. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are included within the European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). Main LGBT-related organisations from these countries are members of ILGA-Europe. Gay activists from all South Caucasus countries will participate in this conference.

Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner to meet with Armenian LGBT representatives

For the first time, gay rights will be on the agenda of European Human Rights chief's visit to Armenia. On 7 October, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, will meet with representatives of We For Civil Equality (WFCE) NGO, the first (and so far the only) LGBT-related NGO in Armenia which was formally registered in July 2006. Mr Hammarberg will hold meetings with a range of Armenian human rights and non-governmental organisations, along with Armenian authorities, including president, prime minister and head of parliament. It's an important opportunity for Armenian LGBT representatives to present the situation with gay rights in Armenia in its broader context and lobby equality and anti-discrimination legislation.

Currently WFCE NGO is working on two main projects:

• Prevention and Empowerment in the Newly Independent States: Responding to HIV/AIDS amongst Sexual Minorities (2006-2010. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Non official name is ARMENIAN RAINBOWS )
• LGBT Human Rights violation documentation – “Armenian LGBT Human Rights Campaign”, funded by ILGA – Europe (European branch of International Lesbian and Gay Association).

A report on homophobic incidents and hate crimes in Armenia will come out soon. Similar reports, sponsored by ILGA-Europe, have just been released in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

A scope of activities by WFCE includes regular HIV consultation/testing, film screenings and occasional club nights in Yerevan. In collaboration with various international organisations, WFCE is also involved in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-related trainings.

I am pleased to see that WFCE website is now being updated more regularly and gives clearer idea of programmes and activities. However, Armenia and World News sections on its front page remain outdated and are in need of more actual face-lift.

WFCE NGO: Calendar of events for October

October 7

‘We For Civil Equality’ NGO will have a meeting with Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner who is in official visit in Armenia.

October 7-12

President of Moldova's LGBT organisation GenderDoc-M will be in Armenia

October 8

HIV consultation and testing

October 11

Film club

Below is the press release by A1+ on Hammarberg's visit to Armenia:

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, starts on Sunday 7 October a 5-day high-level official visit to Armenia to assess the human rights situation in the country.

At the centre of Mr Hammarberg's agenda there will be a broad range of human rights issues, including the functioning of the judiciary, conditions of detention, prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, minorities' rights, conscientious objectors, rights of refugees, social and economic rights. The visit will also focus on trafficking in human beings and vulnerable groups. Commissioner Hammarberg will visit various police stations, detention centres, shelters and psychiatric institutions in Yerevan and Gyumri.

During the visit, the Commissioner will hold meetings with the highest authorities of the State, including the President, Robert Kotcharian, the Prime-Minister, Serzhe Sargsyan and the Chairman of the Parliament, Tigran Torosyan. He will also meet parliamentarians, the Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Cassation Court, the Ombudsman, local authorities, the Head of the Armenian Church, as well as representatives of the civil society.

On the afternoon of Thursday 11 October, Mr Hammarberg will hold a press conference to present the first findings (Council of Europe's Office in Yerevan - 10, David Anhagt street).

Declaration of civil society organisations on the recognition of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression in the OSCE

This Declaration will be presented within the framework of the next meeting of the Human Dimension of OSCE, in Warsaw (24 September 2007–5 October 2007)

We, the undersigned representatives of civil society, call upon the OSCE participating states to recognise sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression explicitly as grounds of discrimination, intolerance, hate-motivated crimes and human rights violations in the OSCE commitments.

There is substantial evidence that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities are especially vulnerable to hate crimes, and therefore have a particular need to be included in programmes addressing this issue. We therefore commend the inclusive and comprehensive approach of ODIHR [Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights] in its work on hate crimes, data collection, police trainings, which includes awareness raising and promotion of measures to fight discrimination on all grounds. We call upon the OSCE participating states to continue supporting this work and provide adequate resources.

We recall the participating states of their obligation under various international treaties and national constitutions to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of all persons without discrimination. It is therefore our great concern that the OSCE participating states do not have a consensus on interpretation of “all people” and exclude certain social groups from exercising their human rights, such as the right to life and physical integrity, freedom of assembly and association, right to private life, and freedom of expression. These rights, if protected, ensure the dignity of all people, and there can be no justification for exclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons from enjoyment of these rights.


Signed by:

European Social Platform
Human Rights First, USA
International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE)
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, USA
European Women’s Lobby
European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe)
Amnesty International EU Office
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
NGO Platform “Coalition Europe”
European Humanist Federation
European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
European Organisation for Human Rights (EHOR), Strasbourg
European Roma Rights Centre
Youth for Human Rights International, USA and Austria
Quaker Council for European Affairs
World Organisation Against Torture – Europe (OMCT Europe)
European Anti-Poverty Network
Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Switzerland
Ascedent, Romania
OSCE-NGO Network
Conseil de la Jeunesse Pluriculturelle (COJEP International)
Organisation Sociale de St. Petersburg «Union Africaine», Russia
Jewish Cultural Centre “Menora”, Armenia
Roma Education Fund, Hungary
Romo Amaro, Belarus
Memorial of Saint Petersburg, Russia
TransGenderEurope
Spanish LGBT Federation (FELGBT)
Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, Spain
The Islamic Commission of Spain
GlobalSIDA, Spain
SOS Rassismus Deutschewerz, Switzerland
Swiss African Forum, Switzerland
RFSL, Sweden
Campaign Against Homophobia, Poland
Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Georgia
NGO Nash Mir (Our World), Ukraine
Coalition of HIV-Service Organisations of Ukraine
Information Centre GenderDoc-M, Moldova
National Roma Centre, Moldova
LADOM (Moldovan League for Human Rights Protection), Moldova
National Youth Council of Moldova
NGO Labrys, Kyrgyzstan
NGO Gaudeamus, Moldova
AntiAIDS Association, Kyrgyzstan
Resource Centre for Human Rights in Moldova “CReDO”, Moldova
Association ACCEPT, Romania
Centre for Legal Resources, Romania
Metropolitan Community Churches, USA
Crisis Centre for Women, Kyrgyzstan
Inclusive Foundation, Georgia
NGO “We for Civil Equality”, Armenia
NGO “Gender and Development”, Azerbaijan
Ursari Roma Association, Romania
NGO “LIGA”, Ukraine
Gay Forum, Ukraine
Latvian Centre for Human Rights. Latvia
NGO LBL, Denmark
Institute for Peace and Democracy, Azerbaijan
Gay Alliance, Ukraine
SOVA Centre, Moscow, Russia
Magenta Foundation, the Netherlands
African Caribbean Leadership Council, London, UK
“Never Again” Association, Poland
AIDS Network, Moldova
Youth Union Siin, Estonia
Homosexuelle Initiative (HOSI) Wien, Austria
Lesben und Schwulenverband Osterreichs, Austria
Croydon Area Gay Society, UK
Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), Ireland
Helsinki Human Rights Committee for Serbia
Women’s Initiative for Equality, Georgia
NGO ADALI, Kazakhstan
NGO “Tais +”, Kyrgyzstan
Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, Georgia
Donetsk Law Initiative, Ukraine
All-Ukrainian Youth Organisation “Foundation of Regional Initiatives”, Ukraine
Youth Organisation “Bizim Qirim”, Crimea, Ukraine
TV Antena 1, Romania
Alianta Nationala pentru Unitatea Romilor (National Roma Unity Alliance), Romania
Association of Nordic LGBT Student Organisations (ANSO), Sweden
The Federation of Swedish LGBT Student Organisations (SFG), Sweden
Youth Group for Tolerance “ETHnICS”, Russia
Open Viewpoint Public Foundation, Kyrgyzstan
NGO “Transformation”, Sweden
Gender Group of Gothenburg University, Sweden
International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), UK
Union “Century 21”, Georgia
Canadian Arab Federation
Kulturburo Sachsen (Cultural Office), Germany
Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe (CEJI)
Youth Against Intolerance and Discrimination, Georgia
Netherlands Helsinki Committee
Advocates for Lesbian and Gay Rights International (ALEGRI), UK
LSVD, Germany
Qendra per Emancipim Shoqeror (Center for Social Emancipation) QESh, Kosovo
The Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan
Democracy Monitor, Azerbaijan
Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta
COC Haaglanden, the Netherlands
Informational Medical-Psychological Centre Tanadgoma, Georgia
ILGA Portugal
International Gay and Lesbian Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO)
YouAct, the Netherlands
GAT - Grupo Português de Activistas sobre Tratamentos do VIH/SIDA, Portugal
The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG)
National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Centers, USA
RFSL Ungdom - The Swedish youth federation for LGBT rights, Sweden
Hudson Pride Connections, USA
The National Council of German Women's Organizations, Germany
Centre for Legal Resources, Romania
ALEAS Izquierda Unida La Rioja (Spain)

*source: ALEAS IU Rioja

***
The term "human dimension" describes the set of norms and activities related to human rights, the rule of law, and democracy that are regarded within the OSCE as one of the three pillars of its comprehensive security concept, along with the politico-military and the economic and environmental dimensions.

Every year in Warsaw, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organizes a two-week conference, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM). The HDIM is a forum where OSCE participating States discuss the implementation of human dimension commitments that were adopted by consensus at prior OSCE Summits or Ministerial Meetings.

These commitments are not legally binding norms; instead, they are politically binding - a political promise to comply with the standards elaborated in OSCE documents. Follow-up meetings to review the implementation of the commitments are based on the principle that the commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the state concerned.

*for more info about ODIHR and Human Dimension of OSCE, see here

Turkish LGBTT Group Faces Closure in Istanbul

Below is a press statement about attempts to close one of the leading Turkish LGBTT groups (Lambda Istanbul) in Istanbul. This petition is signed by a number of human rights groups in Turkey.

THE DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION PREVENTS FREEDOM OF ORGANISING LGBTT PEOPLE!

We are asking: Is it immoral to be organized?

Stating that "Not only heterosexuals live in this society!", Turkey's lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transvestite and transsexual (LGBTT) associations are trying to benefit from their freedom of speech in order to fight against the discrimination based on sexual orientation and sexual identity. Turkish LGBTT people are against denial, marginalisation, stigmatisation and violence; they are seeking recognition of their existence in society.

Since 2005, civil groups and associations that apply to gain NGO (non-governmental) status were always confronted with the similar types of obstructions. Attempt to establish “Kaos GL” wanted to be rejected with a claim that "an immoral association cannot be founded". However on October 12 2005, they won their first victory when prosecutors rejected an official demand to shut down a newly-formed LGBTT association.

Now “Lambda Istanbul” faces the same threat of being closed down.

The Turkish Civil Code states that associations against law and morality cannot be established. Because Lambda Istanbul’s title has the words “lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transvestite and transsexual” in it, this association's title and purposes were found to be against the Turkish Civil Code," said the governor's letter sent to public prosecutors and the group, Lambda Istanbul.

The first trial will be held on July 19th, Thursday at 10:00 am.

On January 29, 2004 Turkey's Parliamentary Justice Commission voted to alter the 'discrimination' clause in the Penal Code to include ‘discrimination based on sexual orientation’ as a crime. Turkish LGBT activists praised the legislation that would result in criminal charges against a person who refuses anyone service, housing or employment on the basis of sexual orientation. If the law had passed, Turkey could have became the first predominantly Muslim country to pass such a law.

Although "sexism" and "discrimination against sexual orientation" are different issues of facts (aspects), the Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek claimed that they would express similar things and demanded that the expression "sexual orientation" should be taken out of the main paragraph concerning "discrimination".

Therefore on July 6, 2004 The Parliamentary Justice Commission took up the discrimination clause and decided to replace it with the discrimination clause that exists in the Constitution. According to the Article No.10 of the Turkish Constitution, discrimination based on language, race, skin color, gender, political opinion, religion, denomination and similar reasons is prohibited but it does not directly refer to sexual orientation.

Criteria and conventions must be binding for everybody and everywhere!

We want to remind that the Republic's Chief Prosecutor in Ankara rejected an official demand to shut down a newly-formed LGBTT association (Kaos GL) in Ankara in 2005. The prosecutor said in his ruling that the American Psychiatric Association did not rate homosexuality as a disorder and the words "gay" and "lesbian" were widely used in daily life and scientific research. He also put some international laws into consideration such as: the EU's political criteria, the Accession Partnership Document, the European Convention on Human Rights and supporting international conventions on human rights:

We also remind that both LGBTT associations "Lambdaistanbul," and "Kaos GL," are founded with the same objectives and are working in the frame of the law. We demand to fairness and have the same criteria and conventions in the city of Istanbul as well.

Even before registering to gain a legal NGO status, Lambdaistanbul has been an active organization in the past.

We, as members of below-mentioned Turkish associations that fight for human rights and freedom, are declaring to the public that we will continue to support Lambdaistanbul and its ideals and together resist the discriminatory practices that we face.

Main petitioners:

Kaos Gay-Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association

Pembe Hayat Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transvestite and Transsexual Solidarity Association

TPC Women Platform

Co-signers:

Ankara University Gender Studies Group

Ankara Women Platform

“Say Stop! to Racism and Nationalism” Initiative

Kaos GL Ýzmir

Kaosist Homosexual Non-Governmental Initiative

MorEl Eskisehir LGBTT Organisation

*via Kaos GL