10/07/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
The final hearing of the case against 8 LGBTI+ activists who were prosecuted for participating in the Istanbul Pride March on June 30, 2024, was held. The court ruled to acquit the activists.
Photo: Tuğçe Yılmaz/bianet
The final hearing of the case against 8 LGBTI+ activists who participated in the Istanbul Pride March on June 30, 2024, was held today (July 10) at the 76th Criminal Court of First Instance at the Istanbul Anadolu Courthouse.
The case was monitored by the Ankara Bar Association LGBTI+ Rights Center.
All activists who were tried on charges of “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” were acquitted.
In the case where the Pride March was targeted with the expression “so-called pride march,” the prosecutor demanded the punishment of the LGBTI+ activists; in the hearing held on May 9, the lawyers emphasized that the prosecutor had lost their impartiality:
“The prosecutor lost their impartiality by using the term ‘so-called pride march,’ attempted to criminalize LGBTI+ people, three minors were held with reverse handcuffs in violation of the Child Protection Law, the time of the arrest was falsely stated as 16:20 in the report, and two people were stopped under the pretext of identity check and subsequently detained.”
What happened?
The Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee had announced that 8 LGBTI+ activists who participated in the 22nd Istanbul Pride March held on June 30 were being prosecuted. In its statement, the Committee noted that the indictment used the expression “so-called pride march” and that the case was opened on the grounds of “violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations”:
“The state and legal order that fails to find Ahmet Yıldız’s murderer, defines the murder of Hande Buse Şeker as a simple case of murder, bans access to hormones, and constantly targets young LGBTI+ people, never tires of opening lawsuits against us every year for ‘participating in an unlawful meeting and demonstration.’ After the 22nd Istanbul Pride March on June 30, 2024, 11 people, three of whom were minors, were detained with reverse handcuffs and released after hours of testimony. We have learned that the state, which declared us an ‘illegal group’ in the ban decision on the same day, was unable to prevent our march with all its bans and force, and by calling our march a ‘so-called pride march,’ filed a lawsuit against 8 people.”
Tags: human rights
