The second hearing of the 9th Bosphorus (Boğaziçi) Pride March Case was held at Çağlayan Courthouse. The case was adjourned to February 23, 2024.

On May 20, 2022, the police attacked the 9th Pride March that students wanted to organize on Boğaziçi University campus and detained students under beatings. 70 people are on trial for “resisting the police” and “violating the law on demonstrations and marches”, two of them are also accused by “resisting to prevent the execution of duty”. An academic is also among those on trial.

The first hearing of the case was held on May 29-30 and June 1. The second hearing, held today (November 2) in Çağlayan, was followed by journalists and representatives from the Civic Space Studies Association, SPOD, ÜniKuir, IHD Istanbul Branch, MLSA, Citizens’ Assembly, EuroMed Rights, and the Dutch Embassy and German and US Consulates General in Istanbul.

The 58th Criminal Court of First Instance held the trial at the 30th Assize Court, which has a larger hall due to the large turnout. The hearing started with the students’ defenses.

As in the first hearing, the students drew attention to the unlawfulness, rights violations and torture that took place on the day of the march and emphasized that it was the police officers who should be tried. Reminding that campuses are spaces where they can express themselves and that it is a right to defend the existence of LGBTI+ people, B.C. said that trustees cannot arbitrarily ban these rights. In his defense, G.S.Ö. stated that the police detained them without warning them to disperse and that they were kept on the bus for hours in bad conditions. N.S.Y. stated that she had a panic attack during the blockade and that she was detained despite her illness and the advice of the school physician.

The lawyers defending the students stated that the elements of the crime had not been established and demanded the immediate acquittal of the students. Upon the request of the lawyers, the judge decided to request the camera recordings of the day of the march from Boğaziçi University. The trial was adjourned until February 24.