Seven arrested at Istanbul trans pride

Seven arrested at Istanbul trans pride
Image: Photo: Facebook / Istanbul LGBTI.

SEVEN trans activists have been arrested in Istanbul for holding a trans pride event after it was cancelled by authorities.

The event was cancelled by the governor’s office to “preserve public order and keep tourists and participants safe”, Pink News has reported.

A water cannon was sent to the march but not used.

The news comes after last week’s Istanbul gay pride event, which had also been cancelled due to security concerns, was broken up by police using gas bombs and rubber bullets.

Istanbul LGBTI, who organised the annual Trans Pride March, said they would not recognise the ban.

“We are trans, we are here, get used to it,” they posted on Facebook.

A number of lawyers working with the march organisers were reportedly arrested.

Last year’s pride events were similarly banned, with the government citing security concerns stemming from the Orlando massacre.

Organisers received death threats from neo-nazi groups in the lead-up to this year’s pride marches.

Turkey has no laws explicitly against LGBTI people, but no anti-discrimination laws exist to protect them. LGBTI people may face discrimination and violence, and homosexuality is a widely taboo subject.

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