The prosecution of Amnesty International Türkiye’s former Chair, Kerem Dikmen, along with ten other members of the executive and supervisory boards of the Genç LGBTI+ Association, reflects a broader pattern of harassment against LGBTI+ organizations in Türkiye. The hearing is scheduled to begin tomorrow, highlighting ongoing concerns over the targeting of human rights defenders.
In December 2025, a court in İzmir ruled to dissolve the Genç LGBTI+ Association, citing five illustrations posted on their social media accounts between 2019 and 2022 as ‘obscene,’ based on an audit conducted in 2024. In October 2025, criminal charges were filed against eleven board members under the Law on Associations, carrying potential prison sentences of up to three years.
Amnesty International noted that the social media posts had previously been deemed not obscene by İzmir’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Cybercrime Bureau in August 2025. Despite this, authorities closed the organization and are now threatening the personal liberty of its leadership, a move described as shocking and baseless by Esther Major, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research in Europe.
The case is seen as part of an increasingly anti-LGBTI agenda in Türkiye, where authorities are using the justice system to restrict freedom of association under the pretext of “protecting family values.” Amnesty International has called for all charges against Dikmen and the other board members to be dropped.
The illustrations at the center of the case included drawings of figures kissing and three colorful paintings depicting nudity, including one with four people. On 11 December 2025, the İzmir Civil Court of First Instance No. 3 ruled that these images encouraged LGBTI+ behavior, were not aligned with societal moral values, and violated Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution, which emphasizes the family as the foundation of society. The Genç LGBTI+ Association is appealing this decision.
Alongside civil proceedings, the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is prosecuting the board members for allegedly violating the Law on Associations. Amnesty International Türkiye representatives will attend the hearing to provide support and updates on the case.
