Turkey women protest withdrawal from gender protection treaty

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has annulled Turkey’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention.

Istanbul, Turkey – Turkey officially withdrew on Thursday from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty to prevent gender-based violence, as activists pledged to continue to fight as more women than ever before are demanding their rights are protected. Protests were planned around the country for Thursday evening and again over the weekend as an appeal against the withdrawal from opposition parties was rejected by the Council of State on Tuesday. The move comes after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a midnight decree on March 20 that annulled Turkey’s ratification of the convention, legislation designed to protect women signed by 45 countries and the European Union in 2011.