31/03/2025 | Writer: Nalin Öztekin
The prosecutor’s opinion has been announced in the case against ten people who were detained while attempting to attend the Pride Week press statement in Eskişehir in 2024.
The trials regarding the protests and events planned annually within the scope of LGBTQ+ Pride Marches continue unabated. In the case against 10 people who gathered in front of the Ulus Monument for the 2024 Eskişehir Pride March but were detained before they could even make a press statement, the prosecutor has announced their opinion. The defendants are accused of "participating in an unauthorized assembly and march without weapons and failing to disperse despite warnings" under Law No. 2911, as well as "resisting a public official."
Following the submission of an expert report to the case file—which made no mention of police violence—the prosecutor’s opinion called for all defendants to be sentenced for "participating in an unauthorized assembly and march without weapons and failing to disperse despite warnings." Additionally, three individuals are also sought to be punished for "resisting to prevent the fulfillment of duty." Moreover, the prosecutor defended the police violence, which was also recorded by journalists, as "using proportional force to neutralize" the protesters.
Click- In the Eskişehir Pride March case, the expert witness ‘did not see’ the torture
Attorney Hasan Çayır has announced that they will be objecting to both the expert report and the prosecutor’s opinion in the coming days.
At the first hearing, held on February 18 at Eskişehir’s 16th Criminal Court of First Instance, the defendants described police torture for nearly four hours, while lawyers detailed the legal violations their clients had suffered. Meanwhile, the prosecutor fell asleep during the hearing. At the next hearing, scheduled for April 9, the defendants and their lawyers are expected to present their defense against the prosecutor’s opinion.
Tags: human rights
