It has been reported that Kurdish MP Ali Hama Saleh Taha filed a complaint with the Slemani General Attorney to shut down two organizations, Rasan and Yeksani, that support LGBT+ rights. This move comes amid a recent surge of targeted attacks against civil society organizations (CSOs) and activists who promote LGBT+ rights. Taha shared a screenshot of Yeksani’s Wikipedia page, commenting that it publicly supports LGBT+ rights.
Rasan, an organization that has been actively promoting coexistence for the LGBT+ community since 2016, was also recently sued by MP Omer Gulpi of the Kurdistan Justice Group. Furthermore, the Directorate of Non-Governmental Organizations (DNGO) has been threatening local human rights organizations with revoking their licenses if they support LGBT+ people. Additionally, extremist groups have been spreading misinformation to attack projects aimed at educating society about SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, and sex characteristics).
Despite these attempts to silence our voices and shut down our operations, we want to assure the audience and the LGBT+ community that Yeksani will continue to work towards ensuring that human rights are protected for all, without exception.
