In July 2005, KAOS GL applied for Association status with the Ministry of the Interior. Subsequently, Ankara's deputy governor Selahattin Ekremoğlu petitioned a court to close the organisation, referring to articles 56 and 4721 of the Turkish Civil Code prohibiting establishment of an organisation that is against laws and morality.[4] The threat of closure was criticized by the International Lesbian and Gay Association and Human Rights Watch, who considered it a violation of basic rights and yet another attempt at suppressing civil society in Turkey.[5] On 12 October 2005, Ankara prosecutor Kursat Kayral however decided not to proceed with the case,[6] concluding that homosexuality can't be equated with immorality. While in 2008 similar charges were brought against Istanbul-based LGBT organisation Lambda Istanbul,[7] KAOS GL has been a legally registered non-government organisation (NGO) since October 2005.