The Turkish authorities must lift all restrictions on a planned May Day solidarity demonstration in Istanbul’s Taksim Square and allow people to gather peacefully, Amnesty International said. The organization is calling on law enforcement officials to respect, protect, and facilitate people’s right to peaceful assembly.
Despite the ruling by Türkiye’s Constitutional Court in 2023, which declared that preventing May Day celebrations at Taksim Square constitutes a violation of the constitutional right to organize public meetings and demonstrations, authorities have refused to lift restrictions. Instead, they claim security concerns and traffic issues as reasons for the ban.
The Turkish government has a history of restricting peaceful protests in Taksim Square, dating back to 2013 when police violently prevented trade unions and their supporters from gathering. In December 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly was violated by the bans and forceful dispersals of protesters.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, urged the authorities to respect the court’s ruling and ensure the protection of participants’ rights. “The binding decisions of the Constitutional Court must be respected by the authorities,” she said. “They must take all necessary steps to protect participants’ enjoyment of their rights.”
Source: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/04/turkiye-ban-on-may-day-celebrations-in-istanbuls-taksim-square-must-be-lifted