PostedJune 26, 2022, 4:46 PM
Banned by the authorities, the LGBTQI+ march was repressed by Turkish law enforcement on Sunday. An award-winning press photographer was also arrested.
Despite the ban, hundreds of protesters waving rainbow flags began to gather in Istanbul.
REUTERS
Turkish police carried out dozens of arrests on Sunday, during the Pride march in Istanbul, including that of an AFP photographer, noted a team from Agence France-Presse.
“Random” arrests
Even before the rally began, riot police raided several bars in the Cihangir neighborhood around Taksim and “randomly” arrested people there, including journalists, according to the report. AFP.
Bülent Kilic, an experienced and award-winning Agency photographer familiar with conflict zones, was handcuffed behind his back, his T-shirt ripped off and loaded with others into a police van. He had already been arrested last year in the same circumstances.
Banned year following year
The Pride march was officially banned by the city’s governor but hundreds of protesters waving rainbow flags began gathering in the streets adjacent to the famous Taksim Square, which is completely closed to the public.
After a spectacular fashion show in 2014 of more than 100,000 people in Istanbul, the Turkish authorities have banned year following yearofficially for security reasons.
(AFP)