ISTANBUL
Gay rights campaigners on Thursday filed a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Sebahattin Ozturk over the police dispersal of Istanbul’s Pride parade last Sunday.
The action filed with Istanbul prosecutors accuses Ozturk, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin and the city’s Chief of Police Selami Altinok of using excessive force to disperse crowds headed for Taksim Square, a focal point for rallies in the city.
The event generated global headlines after police used tear gas and water cannon against peaceful crowds who refused to disperse.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride organizers’ lawyer Yasemin Oz said the group did not need permission to march on Istanbul’s Istiklal Caddesi, a main shopping street that leads to Taksim.
She said the police had a duty to protect gay people instead of “attacking them”.
