Amnesty International Canada on Thursday called on Turkish authorities to drop charges against 11 members of an İzmir-based LGBTI+ rights organization who face up to three years in prison in a case stemming from social media posts authorities deemed obscene.
Amnesty said the prosecution under Turkey’s Law on Associations violates freedom of expression and association and discriminates against LGBTI+ people. It criticized the use of vague concepts of public morality to restrict LGBTI+ advocacy.
The defendants include Emirhan Şaşmaz, Kerem Dikmen, a former chair of Amnesty International Turkey, and nine other current or former members of the executive and supervisory boards of Genç LGBTI+ (Young LGBTI+) Association.
The case stems from investigations into five illustrations posted on the association’s social media accounts between 2019 and 2022 that authorities alleged were obscene. The defendants, however, face charges under the Law on Associations rather than obscenity charges.
An initial investigation by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was closed in August 2025 after prosecutors concluded that the posts did not constitute a criminal offense. In a separate investigation involving the 11 board members, a prosecutor decided not to pursue the obscenity allegation in October 2025 but continued the case under the Law on Associations.
The criminal proceedings are separate from a lawsuit seeking to dissolve Genç LGBTI+. On December 11, 2025, the İzmir 3rd Civil Court of First Instance ordered the association dissolved, ruling that the five social media posts violated public morality and constitutional provisions protecting the family and children. The association has appealed the decision.
Founded in İzmir in 2016, Genç LGBTI+ works on issues affecting LGBTI+ young people, including access to housing, education and healthcare, sexual rights and combating hate crimes.
The defendants first appeared in court on April 8, with the next hearing scheduled for October 14.
In an April response to United Nations experts who had raised concerns about the case, the Turkish government said an inspection by the İzmir Governor’s Office found that the association had engaged in social media activity inconsistent with its bylaws and had violated provisions of the Civil Code and Law on Associations.
