28/08/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
Akış, who was referred to the criminal judgeship of peace on charges of “facilitating the publication of obscene content”, was ordered to be arrested.
Tolga Akış, the founder and manager of Turkish girl band “Manifest,” was detained as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Following police procedures, Akış was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse and, after giving his statement to the prosecutor, was referred to a criminal judgeship of peace with a request for his arrest on charges of “facilitating the publication of obscene content”. The judgeship ordered his arrest.
In the prosecutor’s referral letter, however, the “obscenity” accusation was linked to the visibility of LGBTI+ people. The letter stated that the social media posts subject to the investigation had reached a wide audience and alleged that the posts were “encouraging and promoting” LGBTI+ identities, although Turkish law does not recognize “encouraging” or “promoting” LGBTI+ identities as criminal offences.
The prosecutor’s office included the following statements in its referral letter:
“The concept of obscenity, in the context of criminal law, cannot be assessed solely on the basis of nudity, the visibility of the body, or a subjective understanding of morality that may vary from person to person. Obscenity must be determined by considering the content as a whole, the manner in which it is presented, and the audience it targets or actually reaches, particularly in relation to its impact on the mental, moral and social development of children.”
“These posts may lead members of society towards behaviours that encourage and promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite or transgender identities. It has been determined that the posts in question are not in line with society’s moral values or Article 41 of the Constitution and should therefore be assessed in terms of decency and modesty, society’s shared moral values regarding similar activities/actions, and the protection of the family and children’s rights guaranteed under Article 41 of the Constitution.”
The referral letter also stated that children and young people could access the group’s content “without any filtering mechanism” and alleged that Akış had “presented and legitimised” the group’s actions and activities to the public through broadcasting and publication tools.
Arguing that there was “strong suspicion of a crime” that Akış had committed the offence of “facilitating the publication of obscene content”, the prosecutor’s office requested his arrest. Following the prosecutor’s request, the criminal judgeship of peace ordered Akış’s arrest.
Tags: human rights, women, media, arts and culture, life, family, lgbti
