Turkey prepares to leave women's rights convention
A decision by Turkey’s Council of State Tuesday opened the way for the nation to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention to prevent violence against women on July 1 despite condemnation from international bodies and women’s rights advocates.
ISTANBUL — Turkey is set to leave the Istanbul Convention to prevent violence against women on July 1 following a decision by the nation’s Council of State Tuesday to reject appeals seeking to reverse the move.
The official withdrawal would come after months of protests by women’s rights advocates and opposition from international bodies, including the Council of Europe the US administration, who claim leaving the convention could deny women, children and the LGBT community in Turkey the legal framework to prevent gender-based violence and prosecute abusers.
A March 20 presidential decree announced Turkey’s withdrawal from the European treaty, making Turkey the first of 47 signatory states to pull out from the convention. In response, a number of rights organizations and the nation’s main opposition parties filed lawsuits to repeal the decision.
On Tuesday, the nation’s Council of State voted three to two to reject the appeals and the Turkish presidency submitted its defense requesting all relevant lawsuits over the withdrawal be dismissed.
