ISTANBUL – Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Istanbul on Saturday for anti-government protests, demanding amid a heavy police presence the reversal of recent decisions by Turkey's president that affect students, women and the LGBT community.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a surprise decree a week ago ending Turkey's participation in a landmark treaty aimed at protecting women from violence.
About a thousand women and allies turned up Saturday to protest the country's withdrawal from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention.
Hundreds of students also held another protest against the appointment of a new rector at Turkey’s most prestigious university.