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The chair and board members of the İzmir Bar Association are under investigation over a statement criticizing LGBTI+phobic remarks by President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş.
In a Friday sermon on June 24, 2020, Prof. Ali Erbaş had said, "Islam accepts adultery as one of the greatest harams. It curses the people of Lot, the homosexuality. What is the wisdom of this? The wisdom here is that it brings diseases and degenerates the generation."
Along with other lawyers' groups and NGOs, the İzmir Bar had criticized Erbaş's statement, saying that it was "hate speech." Prosecutors had refused to open an investigation against Erbaş.
Releasing a statement today (July 1), the İzmir Bar said it will continue to struggle for justice and rule of law.
"You will not be able to silence the voice of the İzmir Bar Association with investigations, trials and penalties," it said.
The bar association said that prosecutors' attitude towards lawyers while not taking action against the recent revelations of mafia-state relations while investigating lawyers indicated the "deplorable state of the law in our country."
Previously, investigations were opened into the Diyarbakır and Ankara bar associations for criticizing Erbaş over the same statement.
What happened?In his Friday sermon (khutbah) on April 24, President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş targeted LGBTI+s and the ones living with HIV. Erbaş briefly stated the following: "People! Islam accepts adultery as one of the greatest harams. It curses the people of Lot, the homosexuality. What is the wisdom of this? The wisdom here is that it brings diseases and degenerates the generation. Hundreds of thousands of people a year are exposed to the HIV virus caused by this great haram, which passes as adultery in Islamic Literature. Let's come and fight together to protect people from this kind of evil." Several rights organizations, politicians and bar associations condemned these remarks. Both Ankara Bar Association and Human Rights Association (İHD) filed a criminal complaint against Erbaş. Noting that Erbaş spread hate with his statements, Ankara Bar warned that "if Erbaş remained in office despite his remarks about LGBTI+s, women and children, no one should be surprised if, in his next speech, he called on people to light torches and burn women as witches at the squares." The Bar also argued that with his statements, Ali Erbaş, "whose voice was coming from ages ago, incited the public to enmity and hatred by presiding over a state institution and building his discourse on values held sacred." In response to this statement, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against the Ankara Bar Association on April 27. The Presidency of Religious Affairs also filed a criminal complaint against its executives on the same day. The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also launched an investigation against the executives of the Diyarbakır Bar due to their statement condemning the remarks of Ali Erbaş. The executives face the possible charge of "degrading religious values." |
(AS/VK)
