21/01/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
The 12th hearing of the dissolution case filed against TTM was held today. The court rejected all motions. The next hearing is scheduled for September 16.
The 12th hearing of the dissolution case filed against the Tarlabaşı Community Support Association (TTM) on the grounds of alleged violations of law and morality was held today at 10:00 a.m. at the Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance. The hearing was monitored by TTM volunteers, human rights defenders, and diplomatic representatives.
The dissolution case, filed in February 2022, has not been concluded on the grounds that criminal proceedings have been initiated against the association’s executives. However, the smear campaign ongoing since June 2021, various lawsuits, and the sealing of the association’s premises have rendered TTM unable to carry out its activities in the neighborhood. At the 11th hearing held on September 29, 2025, 11 institutions-including bar associations and human rights organizations-applied to intervene in the case as third-party participants in support of TTM. These 11 institutions emphasized that the dissolution case against TTM constitutes a threat to the entire civic space, and particularly to women’s and children’s rights.
TTM: “We continue our struggle with the same determination as on day one”
Before the hearing, TTM volunteers and human rights defenders gathered in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse and read a press statement. They said:
“Today, we are at the courthouse for the 12th hearing of the dissolution case filed against the Tarlabaşı Community Center. Despite those who try to wear us down through prolonged trials, we continue our struggle with the same determination as on day one. We are here to say ‘We want TTM back’ so that TTM can return to Tarlabaşı, women and children in Tarlabaşı can regain their safe spaces, and human rights defenders can do their work.”
“We call on the entire civic space to stand in unconditional solidarity with the Young LGBTI+ Association and TTM”
The press statement also addressed the increasing pressure on civil society and the Young LGBTI+ Association, which was dissolved by court order in December 2025 on grounds of alleged obscenity, and included a call for solidarity:
“Criminalizing work on gender equality under the guise of ‘public morality’ primarily affects marginalized groups participating in these efforts. Women, children, and LGBTI+ people-whose access to rights is already restricted-are being cut off from support mechanisms, safe spaces, and the communities they belong to. The closure threat directed at TTM 4.5 years ago and still ongoing, and its application against the Young LGBTI+ Association in 2025, when anti-LGBTI+ legislative proposals are being debated, demonstrates the importance of collective struggle in the face of attacks on civil society. As human rights defenders, we call on the entire civic space to stand in unconditional solidarity with the Young LGBTI+ Association and TTM.”
Human rights organizations reiterated their motions to intervene; all requests were rejected
Representatives of human rights organizations that had previously applied to intervene in the case in support of TTM took the floor again at this hearing. The lawyer for the Sulukule Volunteers Association emphasized that the case constitutes a direct intervention against the freedom of association of all civil society organizations carrying out rights-based work with children. The lawyer for the Women for Women’s Human Rights Association stated that the case concerns all organizations working on women’s rights. Referring to the fact that women who wanted to attend the hearing to speak about TTM could not do so due to caregiving responsibilities, she said, “this situation demonstrates the importance of TTM.” The lawyer for the Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation also requested that the motions to intervene be accepted in consideration of the public interest, especially given that the Ministry of Family and Social Services is already a party to the case against TTM.
The court rejected the third-party intervention requests submitted by the Association for Struggle Against Sexual Violence, the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association, the Istanbul Bar Association, the Izmir Bar Association, the We Will Stop Femicide Platform Association, Women for Women’s Human Rights- New Ways Association, the Red Umbrella Association, the Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation, the Civil Society Development Center (STGM), the Sulukule Volunteers Association, and the Psychologists for Social Solidarity Association (TODAP).
The dissolution case is being prolonged again: the court will wait for the outcome of the criminal case
The Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance had previously issued an interim decision stating that it would wait for the outcome of the criminal case filed against TTM executives on the same grounds as the dissolution case. TTM stated that there was no need to wait for the outcome of the criminal case and requested that the dissolution case be dismissed immediately. At today’s hearing, the court also rejected this request and reiterated that it would wait for the outcome of the criminal case.
The next hearing of the dissolution case will be held on September 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
What happened?
In June 2021, some social media accounts targeting TTM’s activities on gender equality launched a smear campaign, followed by various administrative inspections of TTM. After these inspections, two separate dissolution cases were filed against TTM. The “determination of non-existence” case filed in October 2021 was dismissed in May 2024; the decision is under appeal. The dissolution case filed in February 2022 is still ongoing. In addition, criminal proceedings against the association’s executives for violations of the Law on Associations are ongoing. In October 2024, the association’s premises were sealed on the grounds of alleged “unauthorized educational activities.” TTM’s objections to these administrative measures have not yet been concluded.
Tags: human rights, women, media, life, lgbti
