by Rex Wockner
International News
A dozen plainclothes police officers raided the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center April 7. They stayed for two hours, rummaged through everything, and took away documents containing financial and membership information.
The center later learned it had been under surveillance after someone accused it of procuring transgender sex workers and sharing in their earnings.
Lambda denies any such activities and says it will take legal action against the city.
The organization is in the midst of another court case over its right to seek official status after the mayor said the group should be shut down because it threatens family values and public decency. The group has said it will take that case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
Meanwhile, on April 8, the Labrys GLBT community center in Bishkek, capital of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, was raided by police who reportedly claimed it was an illegal cruising location.
After an extended standoff and the arrival of reinforcements from both sides, the incident ended without any official action. A play-by-play of the incident is online. See http://www.tinyurl.com/46z9k7.
