Turkish court slaps ban on homosexual group

Acting on an application by the Istanbul Governors office, the prosecutor said that LambdaIstanbul violated a constitutional provision on the protection of the family and an article banning bodies "with objectives that violate law and morality".

LambdaIstanbul said the ruling, announced by an Istanbul court Thursday, was an affront to human rights, vowing to appeal and continue its activities until the higher court rules on the case.

"This is a mistake and we hope that the Appeals Court will correct it," group lawyer Firat Soyle told AFP.

He pointed at a 2005 decision by an Ankara prosecutor who threw out a similar application against another gay rights advocacy group, KAOS-GL, saying that homosexuality does not amount to immorality.

LambdaIstanbul was founded in 1993 and officially registered itself as an association in 2006.

Same-sex relationships have never been criminalized in Turkey, but there are no laws protecting homosexual rights and prejudice against gays and lesbians remains strong in daily life.

Turkish homosexuals have become increasingly outspoken in recent years, expanding their networks and organizing public events to raise their profile.