21/11/2019 | Writer: Damla Umut Uzun
The trial of academics and students who were detained with police violence in METU Pride March was postponed to 12 March 2020.
The first trial of the case opened against 18 students and one academic of Middle East Technical University (METU) on the grounds that they attended METU LGBTI+ Pride March on 10th of May has been held in Ankara 39th Criminal Court of First Instance.
METU LGBTI+ Solidarity wanted to make a
press release in front of the Courthouse before the trial. However, police
forces already waiting there did not allow the press release. When the chief
officer threated people gathered there, MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu from CHP argued
with the police. Police chief also threaten Tanrıkulu and shouted at him “I can
do what I want”. In order to prevent any kind of tension before the trial, the
group decided to enter the building in peace.
Trial started half an hour late. The courtroom’s capacity was not enough for the people who came to support METU LGBTI+ Solidarity and monitor the case, and many people could not fit in the room.
MPs Sezgin Tanrıkulu and Sera Kadıgil from
CHP, representatives from EU Turkey Delegation, Denmark Embassy, Swedish
Embassy and Canada Embassy; Amnesty International and Kaos GL Association
monitored the case.
When the trial started, lawyers stated that the
students were using their right to peaceful assembly and requested the
extradition of the indictment and the acquittal of the accused before the
merits. The request was refused. During the trial, plain-clothes policemen were
removed from the court room after the lawyers’ request. Later, the students and
the academic made their defense.
After the students’ defense, the lawyers
got the floor.
“The ones whose rights were violated now
face with trial, but there is no trial for the ones who violated the rights. This
trial is discriminative itself. All the things happened during the detentions
are torture. The police forces who made this torture has to be detected from
the camera footages and we have to make a criminal complaint against them. What
has happened on that day is not only restricting the right to peaceful
assembly, but a direct target to LGBTI+ existence.”
The judges have ruled that whole file on
banning the Pride March has to be requested from Ankara 7th Administrational
Court and all camera footages of the incident has to be requested. The second
trial has been postponed to 12th March 2020 at 9:00.
Tags: human rights