Turkey has officially withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention with a Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Saturday.

The decree says that "the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, which was signed by Turkey on 11 May 2011 and approved with Cabinet Decree no. 2012/2816 on 10 February 2012, shall be terminated by Turkey as per Article 3 of the Presidential Decree no. 3."

Following the Presidential decree published at midnight, women's rights defenders, lawyers and politicians, have condemned the decision to withdraw from the Convention and have recalled that it had been unanimously approved in Parliament.

Women will take to the streets to protest the decree. Actions are expected in front of Istanbul's Kadıköy Beşiktaş ferry dock today at 5 pm, in front of the Çankaya Municipality in Ankara at also at 5 pm and in front of Alsancak Türkan Saylan Cultural Center in Izmir at 4 pm. Protests will be held also in Eskişehir, Adana, Hatay and Mersin.