The trial against the activists carrying a banner that reads “Ramazan can’t interfere with Şaban and Recep’s love*” was concluded. The anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia activists were acquitted.

Source: “Şaban’la Recep’in aşkı beraat etti” (Şaban and Recep’s love was acquitted), kaosgl.org, December 27, 2016, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=22706

The lawsuit was filed with the charges of “deliberately denigrating the religious values adopted by a certain part of the public” (TCK Article 216) against three people carrying a banner that read “Ramazan can’t interfere with Şaban and Recep’s love”, and the second hearing was on December 27. The banner was carried during 2015 Istanbul Pride March, amidst the police assault.

Defendant G.H who was missing at the last hearing and who could not give their testimony, presented their defense at the Istanbul 33rd Criminal Court of First Instance.

In their defense, G.H. indicated that they joined the walk to draw attention to the pressures LGBTIs have to endure and stated “Our intention and our aim was completely peaceful. Police attacked us. After the attack, we continued our walk without any furor. At that moment I saw the banner. I did not know about it. I accompanied as I did not think it included any insult.”

G.H. stressed that the banner did not insult religious values and continued their defense as below:

“The banner is about the love between two months. Therefore there is no insult. In my opinion the complainant is the one who commits the crime of leading the public to rage and hatred because the plaintiff’s attorneys have deliberately stated their discomfort with LGBTI individuals and that the annual and peaceful Pride March leads them to “rage and aggravation”. Such a statement denigrates a certain part of the public.”

The court ruled that the act charged against the defendants was not a crime according to the law and acquitted the defendants.

* Translator’s Note: Ramazan, Şaban and Recep are Turkish names for the three sacred months of Islam, Ramadan, Sha’ban and Rajab. These names are also given as male names in Turkey, hence the pun.