06/05/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
The second hearing of the compensation case filed by lawyer Hayriye Kara from Kaos GL, who was detained at the İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride March, was held today.
Photo: Yıldız Tar / Kaos GL
The second hearing of the compensation case filed by lawyer Hayriye Kara over unlawful detention and ill-treatment during the 23rd İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride March was held today at the Ankara 14th High Criminal Court. The hearing was adjourned to October 20 at 10.00 a.m. to address deficiencies in the case file.
Witnesses described police torture in court. Following identity checks, the hearing began with testimony from a witness lawyer, who stated that they had been assigned by the İstanbul Bar Association on the day of the march and described the torture lawyers were subjected to as follows:
“Two of our colleagues were immediately detained after leaving a pastry shop. We realized we were under siege inside the shop. We were trapped for about five hours. The İstanbul Bar Association requested a vehicle from the Lawyers’ Rights Center. We were detained without any justification. They tried to apply reverse handcuffing. When we objected that, we were subjected to torture. Lawyer Hayriye Kara was also tortured; they handcuffed her by slamming her against a wall. Everyone was beaten. We were not informed of our rights during detention. We saw people in the street being detained without even engaging in any protest.”
“Our belongings were confiscated, we were prevented from providing legal assistance”
Attorney Helin Elif Sevgi, who spoke after witness lawyer, said they had been in the area to document rights violations during the Pride March. She stated that they were harassed by police during the five hours they spent in the cafe:
“The İstanbul Bar Association sent a vehicle for us to go to the police station. As we tried to get into the bar’s vehicle, around 100 police officers surrounded us. Despite presenting our assignment documents, we were forcibly detained. Our belongings were confiscated without a search warrant. We were also prevented from providing necessary legal assistance to our clients.”
“We were detained with reverse handcuffs”
Attorney Serhat Alan also testified about the detention process and police torture, stating that they were detained with reverse handcuffs and that police even tried to conduct medical examinations while they were still handcuffed.
Alan said:
“When I noticed a group surrounded by police, I ran into my colleague Hayriye Kara. After taking the names of those detained, we saw police running into side streets and followed to observe. As we returned to the main street, a police vehicle stopped us. We presented our lawyer IDs. Despite stating that we were on duty, our IDs were confiscated. Under the pretext of a background check, our IDs were held for 20 minutes. We then sat in a pastry shop. When we received information from the İstanbul Bar Association about detentions, we left. On the street, I was detained with another colleague using reverse handcuffs. Police even attempted to conduct the medical check while we were handcuffed.”
Next hearing on October 20
The court ruled to request the case file concerning the İstanbul Pride March and to address deficiencies in the file, and adjourned the hearing to October 20.
What happened?
Hayriye Kara had been on duty in Beşiktaş to support the crisis desk established by the İstanbul Bar Association. While monitoring the situation on Gültekin Street, she was stopped by police despite presenting her lawyer ID. She was deprived of her liberty in an unrecorded and “off-the-books” manner, without any formal procedure. This arbitrary practice was documented by other lawyers present at the scene.
Kara later moved to a cafe in Ortaköy to wait for calls requesting legal assistance. The venue was surrounded by police, and she and other lawyers were not allowed to leave. After the situation was reported to the İstanbul Bar Association, an official bar vehicle was dispatched to pick her up. However, as she attempted to get into the vehicle, she was detained by police who had been waiting in the area for hours.
Kara was prevented from providing legal assistance to detainees. She was subjected to reverse handcuffing and held in poor conditions, and an unjust travel ban was imposed on her. The ban was only lifted months later.
Tags: human rights, women, media, life, lgbti
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