EU concerned over arrests of LGBTQ+ individuals in Turkey, monitoring the situation

The European Union has stated that it is concerned about the recent arrests and legal proceedings initiated against individuals, activists, and organizations of the LGBTQ+ community in Turkey, due to the blocking of their websites and social media accounts, as well as issues regarding the financing of civil society organizations.

Last week, Turkish authorities, as part of a large operation in several cities, detained dozens of people and police conducted raids on the offices of several LGBT organizations and popular gathering places of the LGBTQ+ community.

European Union spokesperson Christian Wigand said in a statement that the Union “takes note” of reports that many of those detained at that time have been released.

Turkish authorities should ensure respect for due process, release arbitrarily detained individuals, drop unfounded charges, and cease the intimidation of civil society and LGBTQ+ individuals, organizations, and human rights defenders, Wigand said in a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS).

He stated that stigmatization and discrimination are contrary to the values of the Union and that the fulfillment of all human rights, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of expression, and media freedom for LGBTQ+ individuals, are fundamental values that Turkey should support as a candidate country for EU membership and a long-standing member of the Council of Europe.

Wigand recalled that in last year’s enlargement report, the EU explicitly recommended that Turkey improve its judicial framework and its implementation in order to effectively combat discrimination and protect LGBTQ+ individuals from all forms of discrimination, and reiterated the EU’s call for Turkey to implement these recommendations.