Thread by @Reuters

Turkey officially withdrew from an international treaty to prevent violence against women, enacting a decision that drew condemnation from many Turks and Western allies when President Tayyip Erdogan announced it in March reut.rs/3dBgdZ0

'We will continue our struggle,' President of the Federation of Turkish Women's Associations Canan Gullu said. Thousands were set to protest across Turkey, where a court appeal to halt the withdrawal was rejected this week

The Istanbul Convention, negotiated in Turkey's biggest city and signed in 2011, committed its signatories to prevent and prosecute domestic violence and promote equality

Ankara's withdrawal triggered condemnation from both the United States and the European Union, and critics say it puts Turkey even further out of step with the bloc that it applied to join in 1987 reut.rs/363jtZf