Londoners protest in a show solidarity for the Istanbul Convention 

Women from the Turkish speaking community who came together in the Wood Green, North London, organized a protest and opposed Turkey’s exit from the Istanbul Convention.

Following the termination of the contract by Turkey with the Presidential Decree on March 20, protests were held at many points throughout the country as well across the world in a show of solidarity with the slogan “Istanbul Convention Saves Lives”.

Before July 1, all eyes were on Turkey’s Council of State, where the judicial process was continuing with the request for the stay of execution and annulment of the withdrawal decision. However, the Council of State rejected the request for annulment and stay of execution of the Presidential Decision regarding the annulment of the Istanbul Convention by Turkey.

Turkey announced its decision to withdraw from the Convention on March 20, 2021. The Istanbul Convention is a legally-binding human rights treaty created by the Council of Europe pledging to prevent, prosecute, and eliminate domestic violence and promote gender equality. It was opened to signature in 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey where it gets its name from and has been signed by 45 states.

Thousands of women marched across the largest cities in Turkey on July 1, to protest Turkey’s official withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.