The Izmir Governor’s Office has banned all events planned as part of Pride Week for the next three days, Turkish media reported.
A statement issued by the governor’s office announced that the ban was imposed to protect public well-being, morality and safety.
“In order to maintain public order and general security, prevent criminal activity, and safeguard public health, morality and the lives and property of our citizens, all events planned under the title ‘İzmir 13th Pride Week’, including meetings, marches, press statements, sit-ins, the setting up of stands or tents, distribution of leaflets, hanging of banners or posters, protest actions, picnics, festivals and similar gatherings, have been banned throughout the province of İzmir in open areas for three days, from June 27, 2025, until June 30, 2025,” the statement said.
The decision to ban all events came after the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Foundation (Kaos GL) released a schedule of activities planned for Pride Week in İzmir.
Although homosexuality has been legal throughout modern Turkey’s history, LGBTQ+ individuals frequently face harassment and abuse, and authorities commonly impose bans on Pride Week events, including the Pride March.
Last Sunday’s Pride March in Istanbul saw the detention of at least 46 participants. Human rights advocates have since called on authorities to release the detainees and to uphold the right to peaceful assembly.
In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International said Turkish authorities must refrain from imposing unlawful restrictions on Pride Marches and related events and fulfill their duty to allow and protect peaceful assemblies.
“For over ten years, LGBT+ Pride Marches have been unlawfully and systematically obstructed in various cities across Turkey, with governors banning Pride Week events and marches, and police using unlawful force against peaceful participants,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, deputy regional director for Europe at Amnesty International. “This must change this year. While people across the country celebrate Pride, authorities should adopt a facilitative approach to ensure that LGBT+ individuals and their allies can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without facing violence or discrimination.”
Turkey was ranked 47th among 49 countries as regards the human rights of LGBTQ+ people in the 2025 edition of the Rainbow Index released in May by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), which placed Turkey among the bottom five countries for LGBTQ+ rights in Europe.
