04/01/2024 | Writer: Selma Koçak
İyi ki Varsın TTM: “We urge everyone to the press statement in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse on Monday, January 8, at 9.15am and to the hearing at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance at 10am.”
Two separate lawsuits were brought against Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community (Tarlabaşı Community Center / TTM) which has been working to provide safe places especially for children and women for fifteen years. The Community Center, which has been targeted by the media more than one year, learned about the suit filed against it via media once again.
The seventh hearing of the “closure” case filed against the association will be held at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance on Monday, January 8, at 10am. The İyi ki Varsın TTM (So Glad We Have TTM) Initiative , which was founded to follow the trials and to show solidarity with TTM, will make a press statement in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse at 9.15 am before the hearing. The call of the initiative is as follows:
“We have been calling for a trial for exactly two years. For exactly two years, the Tarlabaşı Community Centre has been struggling with postponed trials, threats of closure, sudden inspections, regular defamation and targeted discourses, while insisting on being a safe space for all children and women living in Tarlabaşı.
We repeat our call to you to show our rightful stance together in solidarity: Tarlabaşı Community Centre cannot be closed!
As İyi ki Varsın TTM Initiative we urge everyone to the press statement in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse on Monday, January 8, at 9.15am and to the hearing at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance at 10am.”
The signature campaign was signed by 99 non-governmental organizations
99 non-governmental organizations said “We are with Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community” by making a joint declaration before the hearing. Signature company is going on at the website of “İyi ki Varsın TTM”, which was created in order to be in solidarity with TTM and defend freedom of organization.
Within the scope of the joint declaration, which was published under signature of 86 organizations, it is emphasized that the cases were threaten directed to all civil society:
“We think what we experience today in the case of Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community, is a natural extension of regression in freedom of organization field, Trying to close Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community, by targeting the association and distorting it’s activities, is a threat directed to all civil society.”
Non-governmental organizations demanded to end the attacks against freedom of organizations, to terminate the oppressions targeting civil society, to abate the cases filed against Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community, and continuation of activities in the association safely.
Click to read the statement and see the signatory list.
So glad we have TTM!
“İyi ki varsın TTM” civil society attempt was created with the aim of following the case process and informing the public. The attempt share backgrounders and campaigns related to the cases on iyikivarsinttm.org website, and social media accounts; Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
What had happened?
Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community (known as Tarlabaşı Community Center – TTM), which is a model for community centers in Beyoğlu – Tarlabaşı where poverty, discrimination and gender inequality were experienced over and over, is in a danger of closure.
The association, which was pointed as a target by some of media via defamation news since June 25, 2021, was audited several times during June – September 2021. Following the audits two separate suits were filed against the center.
A lawsuit was filed against the association by the Governorship of İstanbul at the 8th Civil Court of Peace, demanding the declaration of the expiration of the association automatically on account of the fact that “it has become impossible to realize the purpose of the association”. The first trial of the file was heard on April 14, on Thursday, at 8th Civil Court of Peace, at 11.45 am. Ministry of Family and Social Services also made a request to get involve in the case with the Governorship. Attorneys of TTM said: “
An action for annulment of the association was also brought on the grounds of “contrariety to law and morality” at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance, with the indictment prepared by Public Prosecutor of İstanbul. The first trial of this file was heard on May, 18, 2022. “Cease and desist order” about the association was removed within the context of the case, on April, 6 upon the application of TTM. Ministry of Family also demanded involvement to the case with the Governorship. Attorneys of TTM had said “How a an association, which has been working with public enterprises for 15 years, be absent!” The case had been postponed to September 29.
An action for annulment of the association was also brought on the grounds of “contrariety to law and morality” at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance, with the indictment prepared by Public Prosecutor of İstanbul. The first trial of this file was heard on May, 18, 2022. “Cease and desist order” about the association was removed within the context of the case, on April, 6 upon the application of TTM. The case was postponed to November 2, at 11.30 am.
TTM has organized a volunteering activity on June, 27, in 2021, in which the guidebook titled “How to Protect LGBTI+ Students against Family and School Gripper?” prepared by Kaos GL, would be discussed. However this activity was pointed as a target in the media. Hate speech, targeting and defamations went on systematically until February, 9, 2022 and became widespread.
Having been targeted by the media, Ministry of Family and Social Services Beyoğlu District Directorate, Department of Social Services paid a visit to the association. Four days later, an audit by General Directorate of Civil Society Relations was started. The association was neither informed about the audit conclusions, nor the visit. On the other side Police Department Youth Service, took Chair of the Executive Board’s testimony within the claim of “crime of obscenity” on July, 19. The investigation resulted in non-prosecution. The audit which caused to suit several files against the association, was carried out by the Association Auditors from Ministry of Interior between July 26 and August 20, in 2021.
TTM, were able to take information related to the audit conclusions via the reports and annex, which were submitted to the case file, that were brought with the claims of “determination of absence” and “annulment of the association”. The first case is related to “determination of absence”.
The association hardly learned the second suit filed against it, via media. Following a news indicating a case against the association at the headline of Milat newspaper, which rang up the curtain for the defamation process, on February 9, lawyers of the association took information from the courthouse and learned that there had also been an action for annulment about the association, on February 10. Although the suits were filed on the grounds of “contrariety to law and morality”, actions concatenated within the context of the indictment for public interest, do not constitute a crime which would result in annulment of the association. Some issues which may result in administrative fine, like missing in ledger records, organizing educations without receiving permission, failure to asseverate publications of the association to Office of Chief Public Prosecutor, took place in the indictment. In addition, LGBTI+ related statements of the association, included in the report, which was prepared by the association's auditors and formed the basis of the case, as “obscenity” in an unlawful and discriminatory manner. LGBTI+’s fundamental rights and freedoms were also included in the report and the indictment as follows: “people known as LGBTI (gay, lesbian, bisexual, travesty, intersex) in short, who try to influence gender identity of children by normalizing their sexual orientation, in the society.”
Tags: human rights
