28/11/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
The Governorate said in its defense that the ban decision was based on CİMER complaints and intelligence reports. The court ruled to annul the decision, stating that “the state must secure peaceful assembly.”
A decision has been issued in the case filed by the İzmir Bar Association at the administrative court against the İzmir Governorate’s ban on all events under the scope of İzmir 13th Pride Week, which had been planned to take place between June 27–29, 2025.
İzmir 5th Administrative Court ruled to annul the governorate’s ban decision, finding it unlawful.
In its defense, the Governorate stated that the ban decision targeting the events planned under the scope of the 13th İzmir Pride Week was taken in line with applications submitted to Presidential Communication Center (CİMER) and the information contained in an intelligence report dated June 26, 2025, issued by the Counterterrorism Branch of the İzmir Provincial Police Department.
The defense also stated that the ban was based on the grounds of national security and public order, as well as the prevention of crime, protection of public peace, societal well-being and the rights and freedoms of others.
“The state must secure the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly”
The Court, in its ruling, referenced constitutionally protected rights including “the individual’s physical and spiritual inviolability and existence,” “freedom of expression and dissemination of thought,” and “the right to organize meetings and demonstrations,” as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.The Court underlined that despite the Governorate’s claims that Pride Week events might disturb certain segments of society and could potentially lead to provocations, attacks, or public backlash, the state has an obligation to secure the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly and to take necessary measures to protect this right.
The Court stated that the Governorate’s ban decision did not present an open, concrete and imminent danger.
The Court found the ban unlawful on the grounds that it was based solely on abstract complaints from opposing groups and on the assumption that possible reactions could transform into violence or provocations, without presenting an open, concrete, or imminent danger indicating that a crime would be committed:
“It has been concluded that the contested administrative act—which bans the planned meetings, demonstrations and related events (Pride Week) based on abstract complaints and assumptions that possible reactions would turn into actions—without presenting a clear, concrete, and imminent danger indicating that a crime would be committed—does not comply with Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the case law of the Constitutional Court of Türkiye, the Constitutional Court and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, nor the relevant legislation stated above.”
What had happened?
The İzmir Governorate had imposed a three-day ban on open-air events under the scope of İzmir LGBTQI+ Pride Week, which started on June 23, 2025. In its ban decision, the Governorate had referred to Pride Week events with the discriminatory wording: “this type of event containing certain attitudes and behaviors contrary to public morality.”
The first hearing of the case filed by the İzmir Bar Association at the administrative court was held on October 21.
Tags: human rights, trans, lgbti, lezbiyen, gey, biseksüel, interseks
