07/07/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
The final hearing of the trial against LGBTİ+ activists who attempted to make a press statement in Istanbul’s Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood on June 5, 2022, was held today. The court acquitted all the defendants.
Photo: Zilan Azad
The case was brought against 11 LGBTİ+ activists who gathered in Yeldeğirmeni, Kadıköy, ahead of the 2022 Istanbul Pride March. They were charged with "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations." Today’s final hearing took place at the Kartal Courthouse.
In the prosecutor’s opinion submitted to the court, it was alleged that the activists were warned to disperse but failed to comply. The prosecutor demanded that the defendants be sentenced for violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations.
The court ruled for the acquittal of the defendants. However, it did not decide on the lawyers' request for a criminal complaint against the police officers who detained the activists with excessive force. Additionally, the court ordered that a letter be sent to the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding two activists accused of insulting police officers.
What had happened?
On June 5, 2022, marking the beginning of Pride Month, LGBTİ+ individuals who gathered in Kadıköy’s Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood were detained with police violence. Around 6:30 p.m., the police attacked LGBTİ+ individuals who had assembled to celebrate the start of Pride Month. Surrounding and encircling them, police detained many people, used reverse handcuffs, and tried to block the view of onlookers with riot shields to prevent them from seeing or filming the events.
The Istanbul LGBTİ+ Pride Week social media account shared the following statements at the time:
"Istanbul LGBTİ+ Pride Week turns 30. As Pride Month begins, LGBTİ+ people gathered in the streets of Kadıköy, Yeldeğirmeni, faced police violence and detention. Queer pride will overcome torture! The countdown to the Istanbul Pride March has begun. This year too, #WeResist!"
At the first hearing of the trial on March 20, 2024, lawyer Emrah Baran said the following, as reported by Evrim Kepenek from bianet:
"The elements of the alleged crime are not present. There was no violence, no violent slogans. There was no concrete warning, and no corridor was created for them to disperse. There are numerous Supreme Court rulings on this issue. In the end, LGBTİ+ individuals, who have long faced crimes of murder and hatred, are the ones being prosecuted here. When we consider the connection of Article 2911 with freedom of expression, public authorities should approach this with more tolerance. We’ve seen witches prosecuted in the Middle Ages—perhaps, years from now, we’ll also be ashamed of these prosecutions. We request an acquittal."
Tags: human rights
