Amnesty International demanded the release of those arrested at Istanbul’s banned Pride march in July on Thursday, ahead of their scheduled trial on Friday for violating a ban on Pride events issued by the governor of the city.

In total, 53 individuals and three activists remain in detention after being arrested during Istanbul Pride, which appears to contradict a 2023 decision from the Committee of Ministers of the European Court of Human Rights that urged Türkiye to cease arresting and prosecuting protestors participating in peaceful protest in accordance with Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In Türkiye, Article 19 of Law 2911 allows governors to ban protests “for the purposes of national security, public order, preventing crime, protecting public health and

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