27/03/2025 | Writer: Nalin Öztekin
In the Eskişehir Pride March case, an expert report was prepared, however, the report made no mention of the police violence suffered by the LGBTI+ individuals who were detained before they could even make a press statement. Instead, the events were described as ‘controlled use of force.’
As part of the 2024 Eskişehir Pride March, an expert report was added to the case file concerning 10 people who gathered in front of the Ulus Monument and were charged with “participating unarmed in an unlawful assembly and march in violation of Law No. 2911 and failing to disperse despite warnings.” The expert examined six video recordings related to the day of the protest, for which no official ban had been declared.
The expert report included mentions of the police announcing ‘disperse’ and a police officer stating, ‘form a corridor, we will make arrests.’ However, it failed to address the police violence inflicted on the protesters during this time. The violence suffered by demonstrators, including being beaten and dragged on the ground, was instead described in the report as ‘controlled use of force.’ Moreover, the report went so far as to claim that some protesters were smiling while being detained.
Although the protesters, who were taken into custody in front of the Ulus Monument and later subjected to a medical examination, stated during the first hearing that they had been mistreated at this stage as well, the expert report merely noted that they had "chanted slogans."
The expert, who claimed to have watched the footage in full, continued the report as follows:
"The suspects resisted police officers, chanted slogans, held up banners, ignored police warnings, some demonstrators kicked police officers, and they were seen threatening and insulting them..."
"The expert report is full of uncertainties"
The expert report did not mention the footage of beatings captured by journalists' cameras on the day of the incident. Meanwhile, Hasan Çayır, the lawyer representing the prosecuted LGBTI+ individuals, stated in a statement to KaosGL.org that they would not accept the expert report in its current form and that the report was "full of uncertainties."
Çayır continued his remarks by highlighting key issues in the report:
"Although it is claimed that protesters were instructed to disperse in the direction of the station, the expert report clearly shows that they were trapped within a police blockade. It is impossible to understand how or in what manner the protesters were supposed to disperse while being surrounded. As we also stated in court, even if such an announcement had been made, it would have no legal validity. Additionally, instead of addressing the protesters' statements about exercising their constitutional rights or their requests to see a ban order if one existed, the report includes absurd and irrelevant observations, such as noting that one of the protesters smiled while being detained."
It was also noted that the expert who prepared the report had previously been involved in the Ali İsmail Korkmaz case, where Korkmaz was beaten to death by police during the Gezi Parkı protests in Eskişehir.
Tags: human rights, life
