Written declaration No. 636 | Doc. 14374 | 20 October 2017

Turkish violations against the Istanbul Pride 2017

Signatories: Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Piet De BRUYN, Belgium, NR ; Mr Pablo BUSTINDUY, Spain, UEL ; Ms Elena CENTEMERO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Pascale CROZON, France, SOC ; Mr António FILIPE, Portugal, UEL ; Ms Bjarkey GUNNARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Matjaž HANŽEK, Slovenia, UEL ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Eva-Lena JANSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Michael Aastrup JENSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Lotta JOHNSSON FORNARVE, Sweden, UEL ; Mr Niklas KARLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Nina KASIMATI, Greece, UEL ; Ms Ioanneta KAVVADIA, Greece, UEL ; Ms Filiz KERESTECİOĞLU DEMİR, Turkey, UEL ; Mr Ertuğrul KÜRKÇÜ, Turkey, UEL ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden, ALDE ; Baroness Doreen MASSEY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Marianne MIKKO, Estonia, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Luis Alberto ORELLANA, Italy, SOC ; Mr Henk OVERBEEK, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Georgios PSYCHOGIOS, Greece, UEL ; Ms Azadeh ROJHAN GUSTAFSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Ulla SANDBÆK, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Damien THIÉRY, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Manuel TORNARE, Switzerland, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

The Turkish authorities ban of and violations against the Istanbul Pride 2017 are a clear violation of Turkey’s obligations to the Council of Europe. The ban had no justification and served as a violation of the freedom of assembly. We condemn the attack against the peaceful manifestations that included at least 24 arrests, blocking of streets and the use of rubber bullets.

For years the Pride in Istanbul has been a peaceful and colourful expression in favour of equal rights, but in recent years the Turkish authorities have banned the event. We call on the Turkish authorities to live up to their obligation to secure freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and to secure the rights of LGBT people in Turkey.

We stand in solidarity with the brave people of Istanbul and sympathizers from all over Europe that had the courage to go to the streets in favour of equality and fundamental human rights.