20/10/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
DEM Party Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit strongly criticized the 11th Judicial Package at a press conference in the Turkish Parliament: “We are starting to oppose the proposal even before it has been formalized.”
DEM Party Kars MP and Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit held a press conference at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) today.
During her remarks, Koçyiğit also addressed the 11th Judicial Package, which includes anti-LGBTI+ provisions that have appeared in the media.
Koçyiğit emphasized that the proposed regulations targeting LGBTI+ people concern everyone, stating:
“The 11th Judicial Package has been leaked. Officials from the AKP government say, ‘It hasn’t officially reached us yet.’ I also asked the Chair of the Justice Commission. But if the leaked version is real, the situation is indeed alarming. This is an AKP tactic: first, they leak it to test the public reaction, observe the responses, and then move the law to official platforms. Let’s be very clear, we do not even accept the formalization of this leaked draft. We have all seen a draft regulation that is fundamentally contrary to human rights. In particular, the provisions in the draft that foresee up to three years of imprisonment for ‘attitudes and behaviors contrary to one’s innate biological sex and to public morality’ represent an approach that targets not only freedom of expression but also the very existence of citizens. This is a law that carries the potential to criminalize the existence of everyone, especially LGBTI+ people, who live outside gender norms, both in public and in private life.”
“We absolutely do not accept the formalization of the proposal”
Koçyiğit, noting that the draft is contrary to international conventions and the Constitution, continued her remarks by saying, “We are starting to oppose the proposal.” She also referenced the anti-LGBTI+ law in Russia, stating, “The European Court of Human Rights’ rulings against practices in Russia are clear”:
“We know that it is contrary to international conventions and the Constitution, yet they still intend to introduce it. Similar laws also exist in Russia. The European Court of Human Rights’ rulings against practices in Russia are clear. We invite the government to take a look at them. Moreover, the issue of equal citizenship is fundamentally based on freedom of expression and human dignity. In other words, we cannot consider equality only as the equality of those who are alike. We are talking about the conditions for every citizen, every existence living in this country, to live equally and freely. We must also emphasize that anything that violates this infringes on human rights and universal principles. In that sense, let us be clear and explicit. We are beginning to oppose this leaked proposal even before it has been formalized, but as we said, we will never accept it becoming official.”
Tags: human rights, women, life, trans, lgbti
