LGBTI+ rights defender Defne Güzel is being criminalized in Türkiye for her legitimate human rights work. As the president of the 17 May Association, a civil society organization working on LGBTI+ rights, she faces criminal prosecution over content published on the organisation’s website and social media platforms. Authorities allege that the materials fall outside the association’s lawful objectives and violate broadly defined penal code provisions related to morality and social development. If convicted, she could face one to three years’ imprisonment and judicial fines, and the organization itself could face dissolution as a result. This case represents an unjustified restriction of the rights of freedom of expression and association under international human rights law. We call on the authorities to immediately drop all charges and end the criminalization of LGBTI+ advocacy.
