A Turkish prosecutor has launched an investigation into seven activists for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights over slogans chanted during a protest in İstanbul against a bill restricting LGBTQ+ rights and criminalizing identity and advocacy, the Bianet news website reported.
The activists protested the draft law, known as the 11th Judicial Package, on a ferry in İstanbul on October 26, chanting slogans such as “Femicide is political” and “State, hands off my body.”
The İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office opened the investigation under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), stating that the slogans “openly insulted the Turkish nation and the Republic of Turkey.” Investigations under this article require approval from the justice ministry and carry a potential prison sentence of up to two years.
The Aralık Feminist Collective criticized the investigation in a statement, questioning why the judiciary, which is supposed to prevent femicides, is being used against those who speak out about them.
The 11th Judicial Package proposes amendments to Article 225 of the TCK, which currently covers public indecency. Under the bill, anyone who “acts against their biological sex” or “encourages or praises such behavior” could face between one and three years in prison. Another article would criminalize engagement or marriage ceremonies between same-sex couples, carrying sentences of up to four years. The maximum penalty for sexual acts performed in public would also increase from one year to three.
The law could affect digital and broadcast media, including streaming platforms featuring same-sex relationships, and could allow charges against civil society groups, media outlets and journalists reporting on sexual orientation or gender identity.
A similar case involves Enes Hocaoğulları, another LGBTQ+ activist. On June 27 the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office requested permission to open an investigation under Article 31 for the same offense. The application is still awaiting the minister’s decision.
The İstanbul protest was part of the “We Will Not Give Up Our Civil Rights” campaign, which took place in around 20 cities on the same day.
The LGBTQ+ community has frequently been targeted by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government, which have portrayed LGBTQ+ identity as a threat to traditional family values. The community, which is increasingly marginalized in Turkey, has been a key target in Erdoğan’s speeches. Pride parades have been banned since 2015, and state-sponsored anti-LGBTQ+ rallies have become more frequent. The Religious Affairs Directorate has also used Friday sermons to label LGBTQ+ movements as attempts to “erase the natural essence of men and women.
