The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 17 press freedom and human rights groups in urging Turkey to remove a bill that could criminalize reporting on LGBTQ+ issues from its upcoming 11th Judicial Package of legal reforms.
According to the draft of the law, anyone who “engages in or publicly encourages, praises, or promotes behavior that contradicts innate biological sex and public morality” may be sentenced to prison from one to three years.
“This proposal would not only target LGBTQ+ individuals but also place journalists reporting on LGBTQ+ issues and related rights violations under threat of criminal punishment,” the statement reads.
CPJ and partners condemned a similar law passed in Georgia last year.
Read the full statement here.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.