Eleven members of a Turkish LGBT rights organisation appeared in court on Wednesday over allegations of “obscenity” and “violating the protection of the family”, according to their lawyer.
The accused are leaders of the Genc LGBTI+ association, which translates to Young LGBTI+ in Turkish.
Prosecutors claim the group violated a section of the Turkish constitution focused on family values and shared social media images of same-sex couples kissing, which authorities classified as obscene.
If convicted by the court in the western Turkish city of Izmir, the defendants could face prison sentences of up to three years, alongside the suspension of their civil rights.
Although homosexuality is not outlawed in Turkey, members of the LGBT community have increasingly faced criticism and hostility, particularly from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has linked LGBT visibility to falling birth rates.
“This trial arises from a policy of excluding LGBT+ people from the public sphere,” said Kerem Dikmen, the association’s lawyer.
“It is an attack on freedom of expression and freedom of association,” said Dikmen, himself on trial for being a member of the group’s supervisory board.
“This is not about obscenity. Activities that are perfectly legitimate, legal and in line with the constitution are being criminalised. It is a form of dehumanisation,” he added.
Campaigners for LGBT rights have already challenged a separate ruling delivered in December that ordered the group to be dissolved over the same allegations.
“We will not give up defending human rights. But they are trying to send a message to society through us,” said Dikmen.
The court is expected to continue hearing the case on October 14.
Meanwhile, a proposed amendment to Turkey’s penal code that would have allowed the prosecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals for actions considered “contrary to biological sex and general morality” was withdrawn in November last year.
Turkey has also repeatedly banned and cracked down on annual Pride marches since 2015.
