13/11/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Witness police officer claimed that the detained activists were not subjected to violence. The court acquitted the defendants.
The first hearing of the lawsuit filed against 11 LGBTI+ activists for the press statement of Istanbul Trans Pride Week on February 10, 2024 in front of Kadıköy Süreyya Opera with the title “For those we lost in the earthquake” was held today (November 13) at Istanbul Anadolu Courthouse 54th Criminal Court of First Instance. At the end of the hearing, 11 activists were acquitted.
According to İlke TV's Zilan Azad, after the identification, Lawyer Fulya Dağlı demanded “immediate acquittal” and stated the following:
"The CD in the file has not been examined by the prosecution. Had it been examined, it would have been clear that the material elements of the crime did not occur. In the interest of judicial economy, we demand 'immediate acquittal' of the defendants without taking the defenses."
The court decided to reject the request for immediate acquittal and listened to the defendants. The defendants stated that they were detained without a warning to “disperse” and that the moments in question were captured on camera.
Witness police officer claimed that the detained activists were not subjected to violence
The witness police officer who was heard during the hearing claimed that the detained activists were not subjected to violence:
“I went there on February 10 after the arrest process was initiated. I did not hear an announcement, I went there later. I only went to the detention vehicle, I was not in a position to see it. I did not see any violent behavior of the defendants towards the police officers. I was in the detention vehicle until the hospital and there was no violence from the police officers towards the defendants."
After the testimony of the witness police officers, defendant lawyers spoke. Ferdi Yamar, one of the defendant lawyers, used the following statements:
"Action should be taken against the police officers who committed violence. Now that the statements of all the defendants have been taken, we demand that the court should issue an acquittal verdict immediately."
At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor demanded the acquittal of all defendants. The court acquitted all defendants.
What happened?
On Saturday, February 10, the police attacked the protest organized by Istanbul Trans Pride Week in front of Süreyya Opera House, and 11 people who participated in the protest were detained under torture. Lawyers and press workers were left outside the circle formed by the police.
Speaking to KaosGL.org, the rights defenders described the torture in the detention vehicle:
"At first, we were subjected to verbal harassment and torture. After being subjected to transphobic and moralistic discourses, we were subjected to physical attacks by the police in the vehicle on the way to the hospital where we were going to be examined. I was slapped and punched in my eye, ear and nose. At this time, I was handcuffed behind my back, so I did not have a chance to apply self-defense. My ear and eye are swollen, and I have numbness in my left hand fingers due to reverse handcuffs. While these tortures were taking place in the vehicle, verbal harassment and verbal violence continued. In addition to the physical torture inflicted on us, the psychological dimension of all this is quite exhausting and tiring."
"In the morning hours, we were confronted with hundreds of times our number of police officers, we entered the area with the plainclothes police officers who had been behind us for hours, overcoming the blockade they created, to say that we are here in spite of you and that your bans are unlawful. We were prevented from accessing the press, lawyers and our friends within the blockade. I was handcuffed behind my back, leaning against the police vehicle and my head was hit several times. I was told to bow down to the state, and while I was bowing down, one policeman hit me hard on the head with his upper leg. I was kicked in the back while I was getting into the vehicle. That's why I can't walk right now. I was punched in the vehicle in the nose, on the right and left sides of my face, I can't move my jaw because of the blow on the left side, I've been on liquid nutrition for a few days. Verbal and psychological harassment continued from the moment of detention until the moment of release."
Tags: human rights
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