02/06/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
Kadiroğlu was sentenced to five months in prison for protesting the murder of four women in 2021. Speaking to KaosGL.org, Kadiroğlu said, “They can’t scare us with five months in prison, because on the other end of this equation is our right to live.”
Trans activist Aram Kadiroğlu was sentenced to prison for protesting the murder of four women in 2021. With the approval of the decision by the court of first instance, Kadiroğlu was given a five-month prison sentence; however, the court ruled to suspend the sentence. Kadiroğlu refused to accept the suspension.
Speaking to KaosGL.org, Kadiroğlu shared their thoughts on what happened and the court’s decision.
Kadiroğlu recalled that in 2021, following the murder of Azra Gülendam and three other women on the same day, a protest was organized: “While we were on our way to this protest, which was to take place in front of Çankaya Municipality, before we even reached the protest area, I believe there were nine of us, and we were detained. First, we were surrounded, held for about three hours, and then we were brutally beaten before being taken into custody,” they said.
Kadiroğlu stated that the prison sentence was given on the grounds of “resisting the police” and said the following:
“Out of the nine people who were detained, only one other person received a prison sentence, and that was six months. But I’m not sure whether their sentence was finalized or overturned. We appealed the decision, and the case was taken to the high court. However, the high court upheld the sentence. So my sentence is now final.”
“Sentencing a trans activist to five months in prison is a deliberate decision”
Noting that 2025 was declared the “Year of the Family” and that trans people have been openly targeted during this process, Kadiroğlu said, “We’re all aware that trans people are the state’s primary target. In this context, I see it as a very deliberate decision that, out of those nine people, only one trans activist was sentenced to five months in prison.”
“They can’t intimidate us with a five-month prison sentence.”
Kadiroğlu, saying that these sentences are a policy of intimidation, stated the following:
“This is a very clear policy of intimidation. Moreover, it is systematic. But we are not discouraged. These policies don’t work; they need to accept that now. Because where is five months? Where is my whole life, my existence? They can’t scare us with five months in prison. Because at the other end of this equation is our right to live. That’s why, frankly, I find these sentences laughable. I have not been discouraged. Never. Being taken while just walking down the street, beaten so much without even participating in a protest, and then receiving a five-month prison sentence is truly tragicomic. But I am not upset. Because I already have anger towards the state, and that anger is constant. I am constantly angry. This sentence is not something that reduces my fighting spirit or holds me back. Even if they gave me five years or a lifetime… Because, in the end, we are fighting for the right to live.”
Tags: human rights, women, life
