08/11/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak
Çelebi, who was on trial claiming “publicly degrading the symbols of State sovereignty” due to sharing a Tweet at the 2020 Pride March, was acquitted.
The final hearing of the case against Gazete Kadıköy editor-in-chief Semra Çelebi, defended by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), for “publicly degrading the symbols of State sovereignty” under Article 300/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), was held at the Istanbul Anatolian 10th Criminal Court of First Instance.
According to the news article of Elif Akgül from Media an Law Studies Association (MLSA), lawyer Fatih Aydın made a counter statement against the final opinion of the prosecutor claiming Semra Çelebi to be sentenced on charges of “publicly degrading the symbols of State sovereignty” and said that the expression “faggot” used in the context of the mentioned Tweet had no intention to insult.
“LGBTI+s are citizens of this country”
Underlining that Çelebi posted the mentioned Tweet in order to express her support for LGBTI+s on the day of the Pride March, lawyer Aydın demanded acquittal saying: “LGBTI+s are among the 81 millions citizens of this country. And the flag also belongs to them. The expression ‘even if what makes the flag a real flag is faggots’ is not an insult. My client has never used the word ‘faggot’ as an insult. Therefore, there is no insult against the flag. Thus, the elements of the offence of ‘publicly degrading the symbols of the State sovereignty’ have not occurred.”
On the merits of the case, the prosecutor reiterated his opinion. On the grounds that “the elements of the crime were not proven”, the court acquitted the journalist Semra Çelebi.
CLICK - “This case is an example of a long-standing pattern of hate crime against LGBTI+s”
Tags: human rights, media
