27/01/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak

Everyone detained on Mis Street before 2021 İstanbul Pride March hasn’t started yet, acquitted!

Fifth acquittal for 2021 Pride March cases! Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+

Six separate lawsuits were filed against the 2021 İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week, which was casted a cloud on by bans and police attacks. Four acquittal verdict was returned for four cases up to now. The acquittal number went up to five with the Mis Street case, resulted in today.

The last trial of the case, in which 19 people detained at Mis Street before the Pride March hasn’t started yet by using police violence are being judged, was heard today at the İstanbul 60th Penal Court of First Instance.

Social Policies, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) and Amnesty International participated in the hearing beside the rights defenders on trial.

19 people, detained from Mis Street, where intense police violence was experienced and videotaped, including the moments when the police forced journalist Bülent Kılıç to the ground and impressed their foot upon his throat, were acquitted of violating Law no. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.

What happened in 2021?

Following the last-minute ban decision of the İstanbul Governorship, 19th Pride March, which was planned to be held within the scope of 29th İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week, was exposed to police attack. Police attack, which has begun on Mis Street two hours before the march, spread all over Taksim. As a result of the police attacks, many people were exposed to torture and plenty of them were detained. 46 people were detained during the march and 1 had been taken into custody during the picnic organized at Maçka Park a few days before the march.

Six separate lawsuits were filed against 41 of 47 people detained. Three acquittals were achieved within the scope of the cases brought against 13 people, including 8 activists detained from LGBTIQ+ Assemblies, 3 people detained in Cihangir and 2 children. The second trial of the case which was filed against 7 people taken into custody in Cihangir, was heard on September 21 and it was postponed to January 13, 2023 with the demand of sending the video recordings to a legal expert. All of them were acquitted.

The second trial of the case, which was brought against 19 people detained during the police attack in Mis Street, was heard on May 13. Everyone acquitted at the last trial heard today. 


Tags: human rights
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