Turkey’s interior minister Süleyman Soylu describes LGBT rights as “terrorist propaganda” in a hateful speech to members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the northwestern province of Bilecik on November 12th.
A long-distance bus passenger in Turkey complained on Twitter that the driver refused to stop so he could pray, sparking a conversation about the majority Muslim nation and its secular constitution.
Turkey’s secularism debate ignites after bus driver refuses to stop for prayer https://t.co/pOnFUFZ2jj
On August 25, Turkish pop-star Gülşen was arrested, and she now faces charges of "inciting hatred and enmity" for a joke she made about religious schools in Turkey.
On June 26, despite banning Pride parades and other similar events, hundreds of people marched through the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, to demonstrate the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer communities. The Turkish authorities attacked and arrested many before the rally began.
Merve Taskin, a Turkish Instagram influencer, is expected to appear in court for publishing photos that were deemed to be obscene. The pictures in question came from a trip she took with two of her friends to the Netherlands to celebrate her 22nd birthday.
Four students, who attend Istanbul's Bogazici University in Turkey, were arrested due to artwork depicting LGBT rainbow symbols alongside an image of Islam’s most sacred site, the Kaaba.
Some news outlets report the indistinct description of “LGBT rainbow symbols” alongside the Kaaba. To be more precise, four different flags were portrayed in each corner, featuring the iconic rainbow flag, and three others individually representing the lesbian, transexual, and asexual community.
