12/05/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
Defne Güzel, Chair of the Board of the May 17 Association, was acquitted at the first hearing of the case in which she was tried on charges of “violating public morality”.
The first hearing in the case against Defne Güzel, Chair of the Board of the May 17 Association, was held today. The prosecutor requested Güzel’s acquittal due to lack of sufficient evidence, and the court ruled for acquittal.
The hearing was monitored by the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye; DEM Party İstanbul MP Özgül Saki; the LGBTI+ rights commissions and centers of the Ankara, İstanbul, Diyarbakır, and İzmir bar associations; the embassies of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Norway; as well as EŞİK Platform, Amnesty International, STGM, Human Rights Agenda Association, School of Human Rights, CRD, the Gender Equality and Academic Freedom Commission of Eğitim-Sen İstanbul Branch No. 6, Kaos GL, GALADER, UniKuir, CŞMD, Ankara Pride, İstanbul Pride, Muamma LGBTİ+, Özgür Renkler, DSİP, the LGBTI+ Initiative for Peace, My Right to Hormone Collective, Kapsama Alanı, Inter Solidarity, DEM Party Ankara Provincial Organization, 20 November Association, Hayvan Yaşam Özgürlük, ESHİD, TİHV, Murat Çekiç Association, Pembe Hayat, and Aramızda Association.
Only a limited number of observers were allowed into the courtroom.
“There is no crime here; I am being prosecuted on abstract grounds”
The hearing began with the defense statements. In her defense, Güzel said:
“Our association fights discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is clearly stated in our statute. In line with this mission, we conduct human rights activities as well as cultural and artistic work. In 2024, officials from the Ministry of Interior came for a routine inspection. Following the inspection, a report was prepared. That report referenced a translated publication titled My Intersex Story.”
The court panel asked Güzel, “What is intersex?” Güzel replied:
“Intersex refers to people born with chromosomal variations. We published the translation of this report. Our purpose is educational. Moreover, the expert appointed by the prosecutor’s office also found the brochure appropriate. There is no crime here; I am being prosecuted on abstract grounds. I request my acquittal.”
“The very filing of this case was a mistake”
The prosecutor presented the opinion on the merits of the case. Arguing that Güzel had not acted with criminal intent and that there was insufficient evidence, the prosecutor requested her acquittal.
Responding to the prosecutor’s opinion, Güzel’s lawyer, Oya Aydın, stated:
“The very filing of this case was a mistake from the beginning, and the indictment itself is unnecessary. After inspections of associations defending LGBTI+ rights found no wrongdoing, artistic and literary visuals published on a website were criminalized. We agree with the prosecutor’s opinion and request our client’s acquittal.”
Full statement by Defne Güzel
The full defense statement Güzel submitted to the court file reads as follows:
“For more than three years, I have served as Chair of the Board of the May 17 Association, and for approximately six years, I have worked as a rights advocate within Kaos GL. Throughout my professional life, I have documented and monitored the rights violations faced by LGBTI+ people. I stand here not only as a defendant, but also as a rights defender and as a trans woman directly affected by violations in this field. The international publication, exhibition catalogue, and artist video that form the basis of this case are fully consistent with the field of activity and founding purpose explicitly stated in our association’s statute. These materials are: Academic and scientific: They reflect international literature on intersex rights. Protected under artistic expression and freedom of expression: They convey an artist’s existential journey and social observations.
Like all of the work we carry out, these projects were conducted with my full knowledge, and I am proud to have been involved in them. The expert panel appointed by the prosecutor’s office clearly confirmed that these materials are connected to the association’s activities and do not contain any criminal element. For an act to constitute a crime, there must be a concrete harm or danger. The indictment contains no concrete, scientific, or legal evidence showing that these materials negatively affected society or individual development in any way. I am being prosecuted on the basis of abstract assumptions.
This case is in fact targeting the constitutionally protected freedom of association and rights-based civil society work itself. Criminalizing our association’s most basic activities following routine inspections is incompatible with the role of freedom of expression in a democratic society.
I do not accept the charge against me. What exists here is not a crime, but the activity of a civil society organization. In the face of these allegations, which lack any legal basis, I request my acquittal.”
Tags: human rights, women, media, arts and culture, life, family, lgbti
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