Prosecution Rejects Criminal Complaint against ‘The People of Lut’ Banners

Click here to read the article in Turkish / Haberin Türkçesi için burayı tıklayın

Response to criminal complaint against Genç İslami Müdafaa (Young Islamic Defense) group hanging banners “If you see anyone doing the dirty work of the people of Lut, kill both perpetrator and affected” on Ankara streets, gencislamimudafaa.com, kureselanaliz.com websites and service providers has come.

The request for Internet provider to receive punishment for provoking people to commit crime and inciting people to grudge and hostility has been refused.

Chief prosecution cannot reach website owners

Chief Public Prosecution stated that the website broadcasts in San Fransisco, the U.S., and it has no contact address in Turkey.

The Chief Prosecution claimed that it is not possible to determine via city surveillance cameras when those banners hanged. However, there is a large number of photos of the banners and their locations on Internet.

The Chief Prosecution noted that they exchanged correspondence with the U.S. but couldn’t obtain any location information since U.S. laws don’t have crimes of swear and insult.

“Call for massacre is not one of catalogue crimes”

The demand of the associations to shut down two websites calling for massacre and spread hate speech has been turned down by the Chief Prosecution.

The ground for the rejection is that the banners and publications calling for massacre are not included in catalogue crimes.

What had happened?

Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, criticizing Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) nominating homosexual MP as a candidate had said, “[Homosexual people] had caused distraction of the people of Lut”. A day later, former Interior Minister, Efkan Ala, implying “We are all Rainbonws” phrase in HDP’s electoral declaration had said, “We say we are against such things that our morals, customs refuse to accept. It means men may marry men, women may marry women. The people of Lut was destroyed because of this. So, it means the destruction of the mankind”.

Following these statements, Young Islamic Defense group had hanged banners “If you see anyone doing the dirty work of the people of Lut, kill both perpetrator and affected”. 

Kaos GL and Pink Life Associations had filed a criminal complaint against Young Islamic Defense group and website content provider. (ÇT/TK)