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CALL
TO ACTION FOR THE LGBT ORGANIZATION LAMBDAISTANBUL,
THREATENED WITH CLOSURE
Wages Due
Lesbians
and Payday men’s network
are calling for support for Lambda
Istanbul, an LGBT solidarity organization
under attack by the governor of
On Jan 31, Lambda Istanbul is
being taken to court on grounds that its name and purposes
are “against
the law and morality,"
and the organization is threatened with dissolution (see:
http://www.lambdaistanbul.org/php/main.php?menuID=26&altMenuID=47&icerikID=3719).
As others have noted, this is a test case on the right of
association and expression for LGBT people, not only in
Lamdba Istanbul is a strongly
anti-militarist organisation and in 2005 was a vocal
supporter of Mehmet Tarhan, a gay Kurdish conscientious
objector who refused to serve in the Turkish military, which
is guilty of horrendous war crimes, in particular
against Kurdish communities in
In supporting Mehmet Tarhan's -
and thus everyone's - right to refuse to kill, Lambda
Istanbul affirmed and defended the highest public morality,
which government and military authorities would like us all
to forget: that, gay or straight, we don’t want to kill,
rape or maim, and claim the right of refusal.
In 2005, we took to the streets
in support of Mehmet Tarhan and, together with anti-war
protesters, military refusers, lesbian, gay and human rights
activists in 22 cities in 13 countries worldwide, we helped
win his release from prison and from torture.
Please sign the statement,
circulated by Scumlambda, supporting Lambda Istanbul
(see below, in
bold type) and return to
scumlambda@no-log.org
and
lambda@lambdaistanbul.org.
Please write to the Turkish authorities as requested by
Lambda Istanbul.
Invest in Caring Not Killing!
Take Pride in Refusing to Kill!
Didi
Rossi Dean Kendall
Wages Due Lesbians Payday men’s network The trial regarding the dissolution of the Turkish LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) organisation LambdaIstanbul and the conviction of the group's organisers will take place on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:40 am. WE ARE CALLING FOR : - A LARGE SCALE LETTER CAMPAIGN TO TURKISH INSTITUTIONS ASKING THAT THE CASE BE DISMISSED. (Details of the letter campaign are below.) THIS IS AN IMMEDIATE ISSUE FOR LGBT PEOPLE IN TURKEY. Since June 2007, judicial pressure threatening to close the organisation and convict its organisers has been mounting, even though Turkish law does not criminalise LGBTI people. Two hearings have already taken place in July and October 2007. The trial threatens LambdaIstanbul's work to defend the rights of LGBTI people, organise the annual pride week march in Istanbul, contribute to the international solidarity efforts among LGBTI organizations, support LGBTI people throughout the region and raise awareness of HIV /AIDS and other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).
On January 31, 2008, the Turkish judicial system will determine
the legal right of association for LGBTI people for the first
time. Although this case is directed at LambdaIstanbul, the
repercussions of its closure could affect other LGBTI
organisations in Turkey.
LambdaIstanbul must have our support in defending the right of association for LGBTI people in Turkey, in order to continue demonstrations in Istanbul and other cities and to ensure that the rights of LGBTI people are defended in Istanbul and in other locations. THIS ISSUE CONCERNS US ALL The fate of LambdaIstanbul concerns the right to associate, to assemble, to defend oneself and to claim one's freedom. These rights belong to all people and must be defended tirelessly, everywhere and always. The experiences of LGBTI people in Turkey recall certain situations we face in our own countries. The marginalisation and repression of LGBTI people, even if they take a different form from one country to the next, are found throughout the world, in Turkey as in our own countries. The existence of LGBTI organisations and collectives, as well as international solidarity, are vital. This campaign is being undertaken in solidarity, across national boundaries, as part of the worldwide struggle against racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, fear of lesbians and intersex people, and against all other forms of discrimination.
WE DEMAND THAT THE RIGHTS OF ALL LGBTI PEOPLE BE RESPECTED
WHEREVER THEY ARE THREATENED: IN OUR OWN COUNTRIES, IN THE WORLD
AND IN TURKEY.
WE AFFIRM OUR SOLIDARITY WITH LAMBDAISTANBUL.
WE CALL ON THE TURKISH JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND GOVERNMENT TO DISMISS
THE CASE AGAINST LAMBDAISTANBUL AND RESPECT THE RIGHT OF
ASSOCIATION OF LGBTI PEOPLE.
Preliminary signatories:
« Le Torchon Brûle Toujours » (féministes,
Lyon/Paris/Strasbourg, France),
« scumlambda » (collectif de soutien à Lambdaistanbul, France), « JoyZone » ( Festival LesBiTransGaiIntersexes et féministes, Strasbourg,France),
« Support Transgenre Strasbourg » (Strasbourg, France),
« TaPaGeS » (transpédégouines de Strasbourg, France),
« Over the Rainbow » (LGBTI des universités de Strasbourg,
France),
« Le groupe inform'Elles » > (féministes, Strasbourg, France),
« Festigays » (organisation marche des > visibilités Strasbourg,
France),
« La quicaillerie lesbienne et féministe » (Lyon, France),
« FRISSE » (Femmes, Réduction des rISques et SExualités, Lyon,
France),
« Témoins contre les violences policières » (Lyon, France),
« Chrysalide » (association transgenre, Lyon, France),
« Genres Pluriels » (Bruxelles, Belgique),
« Trans-Action » (Bruxelles, Belgique),
« Genres d'à côté » (Bruxelles, Belgique),
« Carrefour Homosexuel Estudiantin » (Namur, Belgique),
« Féministranspédébigouines de Toulouse » (France),
« Bagdam Espace Lesbien » (Toulouse, France),
« Trans Aide » (Nancy/Toulouse/Paris, France),
« Les Brigades Roses » (féministes, Marseille, France),
« Panteras Rosa » (Frente de Combate à LesBiGayTransfobia,
Lisboa, Portugal),
« Guerrilla Travolaka » ( Pirates del gènere, Trans-resistents,
Barcelona, España),
« Hélène Hazéra (journaliste, militante d'Act Up, Paris,
France),
« Centre LGBT Paris Île De France » (France),
« Homosexualité et socialisme » (Paris, France)
Contact us at
scumlambda@no-log.org
(please write in English or in French):
Contact LambdaIstanbul directly (please write in English): lambda@lambdaistanbul.org website http://www.lambdaistanbul.org CAMPAIGN OF SENDING LETTERS TO THE TURKISH INSTITUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF LAMBDAISTANBUL
This campaign was a suggestion put forward on
October the 7th, 2007 by Lambdaistanbul. You may send the text below to the related institutions via fax, e-mail or letter : We the undersigned are concerned about the closing procedures regarding Lambdaistanbul. We believe that preventing the right to establish an association or belonging to one are against the fundamental principles of democracy, and indicate a serious limitation of human rights. We believe that such regulations and procedures are wrong and should be abolished. Respectfully, (Name, surname, city, organization/institution, country ) Ministry of
Justice : Ministry of
Internal Affairs: The Civil
Service Commission Human Rights Violation Office of Ministry of
Justice: Human Rights
Council of Istanbul Province: |