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Feminist protest against femicide in Istanbul
Photo: TOLGA BOZOGLU / EPA
After Turkey left the international convention for the protection of women's rights, the work of activists in the country is becoming increasingly difficult.
The Turkish judiciary is now seeking a ban on the women's rights organization We Will Stop Femicide.
A public prosecutor in Istanbul had applied for the ban because of activities that "violated the law and morals," the organization's secretary-general, Fidan Ataselim, told the AFP news agency on Thursday.
The organization has been campaigning for women's rights in Turkey for twelve years and documents femicides in monthly reports.
The procedure was initiated by complaints from individuals.
Among other things, they accuse the organization of "destroying the family under the pretext of defending women's rights."
According to Ataselim, the organization assumes that the procedure is “part of a deterrent policy”.
“You cannot sabotage our fight.
It makes our determination even stronger,” the activist said.
The organization announced on Twitter that it would not give up.
Among other things, the organization had organized several demonstrations against Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
Ankara withdrew from the international convention to protect women from violence last year.
The government justified the step by saying that the convention harms family unity and promotes divorce and homosexuality.
According to the organization, 280 women were killed by femicide in Turkey in 2021.
33 of them had previously reported the perpetrator for various reasons or had an injunction against him.
In addition, there were 217 unexplained deaths of women.
The organization complains that it does not receive any information from the authorities on the cases.
mfh/AFP
