Turkish police arrest more than 50 people before banned Istanbul Pride parade | Turkey

The Bar Association of the city said that the police arrested more than 50 people in Istanbul before a LGBTQ+ pride march banned on Sunday.

Istanbul Bar’s Human Rights Center X published on X before the Istanbul Pride March, including our Human Rights Center, including our four colleagues, more than 50 people were deprived of their freedom, “he said.

In the early hours of Sunday, the police arrested protesters near the Middle -partner region, and AFP journalists observed at the scene.

The Istanbul pride, which was once a lively relationship with thousands of hikers, has been banned by the ruling conservative government of Türkiye since 2015 every year.

Davut Gül, the governor of Istanbul, said on Saturday that these calls that weaken social peace, family structure and moral values ​​are prohibited. ”

“No meeting or walk that threatens the public order will not tolerate,” he added.

Taksim Square, one of the main venues of the city’s protests, celebrations and rallies, was blocked by the police early on Sunday.

“We did not give up, we came, we believed, we believed we were here,” a protester damaged.

Homosexuality has not been punished in Türkiye, but homophobia is common. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan even reaches the highest government levels and defines LGBTQ+ people as a regular “pervert” and a threat to the traditional family.

The prohibition of Istanbul Pride follows Hungary’s conservative leader Viktor Orbán to prevent the country from continuing the main pride parade of his country.

An estimated 200,000 people walked at a record, Saturday at the Budapest Pride Parade and challenged the ban on the Orbán government.