23/05/2014 | Writer: Ömer Akpınar
LGBTI activist Levent Piskin has been fined 1500 Turkish Liras (about 500 Euros) in a case started against him by Prime Minister Erdogan for his ‘queer’ tweet.
LGBTI activist Levent Piskin has been fined 1500 Turkish Liras (about 500 Euros) in a case started against him by Prime Minister Erdogan for his “queer” tweet.
In the second hearing of the case yesterday, Piskin has been punished in the lower limit for written defamation (Turkish Penal Code 125/2). Piskin was sentenced to a fine of 1500 TL to stand for 2 months and 15 days of jail time. Piskin spoke to kaosGL.org about the decision.
“The judge gave a lower limit sentence out of fear”
Piskin declared that he will make a complaint to the Constitutional Court because the sentence given is below the appeal range. He said, “It should have been a decision of acquittal. The judge gave a lower limit sentence out of fear.”
In the first hearing of the case, the judge had told Piskin: “Don’t be scared, we are judges of 17 December. Tell your side freely.” The second hearing, which was to take place on 25 March was postponed and the judge was changed.
Interest Accusation for Queer Struggle!
Piskin, in his oral defense, said: “I’m a queer and I’m struggling to make queerness ordinary. It is not possible for me to use “queer” as an insult” He reminded that he had made a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Erdogan for insulting his sexual orientation and that this complaint had not been processed.
Prime Minister Erdogan’s lawyer accused Piskin of trying to gain interest and said, “The defendant’s sexual choices do not concern us. His evaluation of the word ‘queer’ as an expression of sexual choice does not mean that he did not use it as an insult. We want him punished.”
The background
Piskin had tweeted “Waiting for PM to declare, ‘I am a perfect queer. Obviously I will not learn how to be a queer from you. Kiss you. #LGBTintheConstitution’” after the PM had announced, “I am a perfect Alevi.” Prime Minister Erdoğan based his criminal complaint against Piskin on the Turkish Penal Code’s Article 125/4, which states, “when the offence of insult is committed in public, the penalty shall be increased by one sixth and when the offence of insult is committed via press and publication, the penalty shall be increased by one third.” Piskin made a criminal complaint against the Prime Minister by arguing that “queer” is not an insult but a sexual orientation and that considering it an insult means insulting a sexual orientation.
Translation: LGBTI News Turkey
Tags: human rights
