Las Tesis case: 6 women acquitted

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Taken into custody and put on trial for protesting male violence with Las Tesis dance in İstanbul's Kadıköy on December 8, 2019, Ayşen Ece Kavas, Fidan Ataselim, Nisa Kör, Seda Elhan Barbaros, Sevda Yeniköylü and Yaprak Okatalı had their final hearing today (June 10).

Facing 6 months to 3 years on charge of "unarmed attendance to unlawful meetings and demonstrations and failure to disperse by oneself despite warnings", the women appeared before the judge at the İstanbul Anadolu 26th Criminal Court of First Instance.

Both the women and their attorneys were present at court. Announcing its ruling, the court board has acquitted all six women.

Statement by women after the hearing

After the final hearing, Fidan Ataselim, one of the acquitted defendants and the Secretary General of the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, has said, "The ones who commit a crime are the ones who do not implement the İstanbul Convention. We all know the ones who commit crimes." Lawyer Tuba Torun has stated, "This is the fair result of an unfair trial. What needs to be put on trial is not the women, but the oppressive mindset."

What happened?

On November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the women of Chile protested male violence and sexual assaults by dancing. Their dancing protest #LasTesis has spread to the world.

Upon the call of Turkey-based We Will Stop Femicide Platform, hundreds of women came together in Kadıköy, İstanbul on December 8 and danced in support of women in Chile.

Dancing to the song composed by Las Tesis "If I say no, it is a NO, you cannot insist. No to harassment", the women also put black veils on their eyes and attached the note "Law no. 6284" on their collars, referring to the Law on Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women.

The women dispersed after the dancing protest. However, police officers intervened against the women and took seven women into custody, namely We Will Stop Femicide Spokesperson Fidan Ataselim, Nisa Kör, Seda Elhan Barbaros, Ayşen Ece Kavas, Yaprak Okatalı and Sevda Yeniköylü.

Deposing at the İstanbul Anatolian Courthouse, the women were released on probation on December 9, 2019. (EMK/SD)