On June 7, 2022, the Middle East Technical University (METU) rector banned the 10the METU LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, which had been planned for June 10th.

In an email to the student body, the rector’s office said that there would be security measures taken if students went forward with the event. METU has banned previous pride events on campus in 2018 (see report) and 2019 (see report).

Scholars at Risk is concerned about attempts to cancel or otherwise limit the right to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly on campus – conduct which is expressly protected under international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Turkey is a party. State and university authorities have a responsibility not to interfere with such activities, so long as they are undertaken peacefully and responsibly. State and university actions limiting the rights to free expression or association on campus have a chilling effect on academic freedom and university autonomy, and undermine democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/turkey-ban-metu-pride-march-deeply-disturbing
https://m.bianet.org/english/lgbti/262999-ban-on-pride-march-at-metu
https://twitter.com/_odtumedya_/status/1533857358467764225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1533857358467764225%7Ctwgr%5Ef9cf64d6bf78ef42cf7e69c421e4e24ea5a64b83%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fm.bianet.org%2Fenglish%2Flgbti%2F262999-ban-on-pride-march-at-metu