HAYRİ DEMİR
In the lawsuit filed against 42 defendants who were beaten and detained during the 2nd Ankara Pride March in July 2022, the court ordered a new expert report upon the motion of the lawyers who stated that the expert report on the moments of beating was not objective.
The sixth hearing of the lawsuit filed against 42 activists who were beaten and detained after the 2nd Ankara Pride March was held at Ankara 52nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Kaos GL, Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara Branch IHD Ankara LGBTI+ Commission and ÜniKuir members also followed the hearing.
During the hearing, it was stated that an expert report was prepared regarding the suspension of the march on July 5, 2022, and the moments when LGBTI+ activists were beaten and detained. The lawyers made statements regarding the report and objected to expert opinion.
'The expert report did not go beyond the findings in the police report'
Lawyer İlayda Doğa Karaman stated that they had not been notified of the expert report prepared on the footage of the moment of the action and said, "We have seen the file and we do not accept the points against us. However, when we look at the expert report, it is seen that an impartial examination has not been made. The expert is a courthouse employee. The report does not go beyond the findings made in the police report. On page 7 of the expert report, the moment when the police tried to take the banners from the hands of the demonstrating group is written, but in the footage the protesters were beaten by the police. This point was not written," he said.
'Our clients who were beaten are on trial, not the police officers'
Pointing out that the report includes statements that the police officers were subjected to violence, Karaman said: "However, it is seen that no records were taken and no determination was made regarding the beatings the detainees were subjected to. The recordings we have submitted to the file show how harsh the police intervention was. In the concrete incident, our clients, who suffered damage and complained about this situation, are on trial. However, while it is the security branch personnel of the police and riot police officers who should be investigated and prosecuted, we see that our clients are being tried only with a discriminatory report prepared by the police without any concrete evidence."
Police torture continued until the statement was taken
Karaman demanded that the footage be watched in the courtroom and said, "Our primary demand is that the footage be watched here to reveal what actually happened during the Ankara Pride March, to see the facts and to reach the concrete truth."
Karaman stated that the police tortured the defendants and that this continued until the interrogation began.
Karaman also drew attention to the dispute of TİP Hatay MP Can Atalay, whose parliamentary seat was revoked yesterday, and said, "Today, the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, which does not recognize the violation verdicts against our colleague Can Atalay, draws its power from the same place as the police officers who attacked our clients."
'Expert report is not objective'
Lawyer Seher Duygu Çildoğan also stated that the expert report submitted to the file was not objective and said, "It contains subjective statements reflecting the expert's own world view. The expert prepared a report as if he was talking to his friend in a coffee shop, without any legal language".
The hearing was adjourned to May 8 for the preparation of a new expert report on the grounds that the expert report prepared between the hearings was insufficient.
After the hearing, lawyers wanted to take a photo with a rainbow flag in front of the courtroom but were prevented by civil-clothed police officers. Meanwhile, a police officer took a photo of the lawyers with his personal phone. There was a brief argument between the lawyers and the police officers who demanded that the image be deleted. Journalists who wanted to record these moments were also prevented. Lawyers said they would file a criminal complaint against the police officers.
