Turkey: Information on the current treatment of homosexuals
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | TUR20708.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Turkey: Information on the current treatment of homosexuals, 1 May 1995, TUR20708.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6c43.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Other than that provided in the attachments, there is little information on the situation of homosexuals in Turkey among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
For information on the cancellation of Turkey's first Congress of Homosexual Solidarity in July 1993 and the subsequent treatment by Turkish police of Turkish and foreign representatives who protested its cancellation at a press conference, please refer to the attachments from IGLHRC Action Alert, the Australian Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), and Amnesty International's (AI) Violations of the Human Rights of Homosexuals and Breaking the Silence (pp. 21-22).
The attachment from The Third Pink Book provides information on the law and official and societal attitudes toward homosexuals. This source states that "homosexuals can be persecuted under general regulations on indecency (Articles 419, 547, and 576 of the Penal Code). Article 10 of the Law of Associations can be used to make gay organizations illegal" (1993, 334).
The attached article from 10 Percent provides an example of a Turkish homosexual man who was given asylum by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) on the basis of his sexual orientation.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that Turkey "ban[s] homosexuals in the military" (20 July 1993).
According to the attachment from Mr. Rex Wockner, Mr. Kursad Kahramanoglu, Turkey's delegate to the 1994 International Lesbian and Gay Association European Regional Conference held in Finland, stated that "there are many gay bars, two gay organizations and one AIDS group" (12 Jan. 1995).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find attached the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The Associated Press (AP). 20 July 1993. AM Cycle. "A Look at Other Nations' Policies Towards Gays in the Military" (NEXIS)
International News. 12 January 1995. No. 37. Rex Wockner. "Turkey: So Few Gays, So Much Sex." (INTERNET)
The Third Pink Book: A Global View of Lesbian and Gay Liberation and Oppression. 1993. Edited by Aart Hendriks et al. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.
Attachments
Amnesty International (AI). February 1994. Breaking the Silence: Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation. New York: AI, pp. 17, 21-22, 35.
_____. January 1994. Violations of the Human Rights of Homosexuals. (AI Index: POL 30/01/94). London: AI, pp. 32-33.
The Associated Press (AP). 20 July 1993. AM Cycle. "A Look at Other Nations' Policies Towards Gays in the Military." (NEXIS)
IGLHRC Action Alert. September/October 1993. "Turkey: First Gay & Lesbian Pride Celebration Cancelled by Authorities," pp. 1-2.
International News. 12 January 1995. No. 37. Rex Wockner. "Turkey: So Few Gays, So Much Sex." (INTERNET)
Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS). October 1993. Country Profile: Turkey. Parkes, ACT, Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, p. 22.
10 Percent. January/February 1995. Julie Dorf. "Border Patrol." n.p.
The Third Pink Book: A Global View of Lesbian and Gay Liberation and Oppression. 1993. Edited by Aart Hendriks et al. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, p. 334.
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International (AI). February 1995. Concerns in Europe: May-December 1994.
_____. June 1994. Concerns in Europe: November 1993-April 1994.
_____. January 1994. Concerns in Europe: May-October 1993.
Amnesty International Report. Yearly. 1994.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. 1995.
DIRB "Amnesty International: Turkey" file. October 1994 to present.
DIRB country file. October 1994 to present.
DIRB "homosexual" subject file. 1993 to present.
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992.
The Europa World Year Book. Yearly. 1994.
Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 1992-1993. 1993.
Human Rights Watch World Report. Yearly. 1994, 1995.
IGLHRC Action Alert [San Francisco]. Six times per year. July/August 1993 to November/December 1994.
IMADR Bulletin [Tokyo]. Monthly. 1992 to present.
Travel Survival Kit: Turkey. 1990.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva. September 1994. Background Paper on Turkish Asylum Seekers.
World Human Rights Guide. 1992.
Oral sources.
Note on oral sources:
Oral sources are usually contacted when documentary sources have been exhausted. However, oral sources must agree to be quoted in a publicly available Response to Information Request. If they refuse, the Response will read "no information currently available." Contacting oral sources is also subject to time constraints; for example, there are periods of the year when academics are unavailable.