Turkish prosecutors have indicted Mabel Matiz, one of Turkey’s most prominent openly queer pop artists, on obscenity charges over a scene in one of his music videos showing two men dancing, as the government intensifies its crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups, activists and related expression.
The indictment, sent to an İstanbul court for approval, says the scene in the music video for “Ha Leylim” exceeds what prosecutors described as accepted standards of public morality and seeks a prison sentence of six months to three years, as well as a judicial fine, under Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes obscenity.
Prosecutors focused on a sequence beginning three minutes and 51 seconds into the video in which a man portrayed as a groom appears alongside another male character, played by Matiz, wearing a yellow suit.
The indictment says one man removes his jacket before the two dance together, making repeated movements with their arms and hips.
The prosecutor’s office left in place a travel ban imposed on Matiz during the investigation, leaving the trial court to decide whether it should continue. Matiz was released under the travel restriction after being questioned in August over the song and video.
Matiz, whose real name is Fatih Karaca, denied the accusation when questioned by prosecutors on August 21.
“Two people looking at each other and dancing together is not a crime,” he said, adding that they could be looking at one another with love, anger or resentment.
He said the scene was a matter of art and objected to what he described as repeated attempts to attach criminal meaning to his work because of his identity.
The video, released in August and set at a retro-style wedding, also features Turkish singer and television personality Seda Sayan and her musician husband, Çağlar Ökten.
The case is the second obscenity prosecution Matiz has faced over his music in the past year.
Prosecutors charged him in 2025 over the lyrics of his song “Perperişan” after the Family and Social Services Ministry sought to have the song blocked, citing public order, public health and family values.
An İstanbul court acquitted him in May, finding that the legal elements of the offense had not been established.
The new indictment comes amid a sweeping crackdown on LGBTQ+ organizations and activists launched in September under an operation called “My Family Is Safe.”
Police carried out coordinated raids targeting LGBTQ+ rights groups, businesses and activists in several cities, with dozens detained and 16 initially jailed pending trial.
Authorities later moved to close two LGBTQ+ rights groups and expanded online restrictions targeting activists, journalists and women’s groups.
Journalist Tuğba Tekerek was also jailed pending trial over an article she wrote for LGBTQ+ news outlet Kaos GL, prompting eight press freedom groups to call for her release.
An İstanbul court this week shut down the T24 independent news outlet and its social media accounts after prosecutors cited 118 items published over the previous year that they characterized as “LGBT propaganda.” The decision was issued as part of the same “My Family Is Safe” investigation.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior government officials have increasingly framed LGBTQ+ visibility and advocacy as a threat to family values, while rights groups say the campaign is restricting freedom of expression and association and criminalizing LGBTQ+ people and those who advocate for them.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
