4 Trials against "Laz Marks" Show

The "Laz Marks" political stand-up program by actor and director Haldun Açıksözlü has been performed 225 times in front of almost a hundred thousand spectators since 2009. Yet, Laz Marks got famous in other ways too. Four trials were opened on the grounds of the play so far. Sometimes they could not find a theatre to perform, sometimes the people in the audience were registered by the police.

In an interview with bianet, Açıksözlü talked about the filming of the show by the police with special permission one night prior to a hearing. "They are trying hard to get my show on video but they will not succeed", he commented.

Trial after trial

The first trial against Laz Marks was opened on charges of "insult of the Prime Minister" on 15 January 2010 before the 2^nd Magistrate Criminal Court of Rize, a city in the Laz region on the eastern Black Sea Coast. On stage, Açıksözlü had told an anecdote about 'Recep Tayyip from Rize' - a hint to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan whose family originates from Rize. Thereupon, the trial was launched against the political show. The 7^th hearing was set for 19 January 2012.

While the first trial was still pending, a second case was opened under allegations of "praising crime and a criminal" in Tunceli (eastern Anatolia) in the same year. The new allegations were based on Article 215 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) and stemmed from the reference in the play to Turkish revolutionaries from the 1970s, i.e. Deniz Gezmiş, Mahir Çayan, İbrahim Kaypakkaya and Mazlum Doğan.

Açıksözlü told bianet he found it "weird" that only the names of Doğan and Kaypakkaya were included in the indictment whereas Çayan and Gezmiş were not mentioned. He presented his defence on 30 September 2011. The next hearing of this case is scheduled for 19 November. However, Açıksözlü said he was not going to change anything about the play: "I will still say these names at the end of the show because they have a value for me".

"To hell with such a system!"

In 2011, one trial was launched against the play in Çorum on 14 January and one in Amasya on 31 January. Reason of both trials was a character called "Netçek Hasan" who in the play had just been made redundant and said, "To hell with the mother and the wife of this kind of system, this kind of capitalism, this kind of prime minister and minister, beeep!"

Both trials also put forward allegations of "insult of the Prime Minister" according to Article 125 TCK. The hearing of the case in Amasya was postponed to 29 December. The lawyer of Prime Minister Erdoğan is a joint plaintiff at the trial in Çorum. The fourth and last session of this trial was held on 7 October. Açıksözlü has not been notified yet but he is facing imprisonment of between three months and two years or an according monetary fine.

Açıksözlü thinks that people are being disturbed about Laz Marks because things that nobody else dares to say are being said on stage with a sharp tongue.

"I see that there is no opposition any more in arts for the time being. People apply auto-censorship because they are afraid that they might not be picked for a role in a series, they will not find work or will be thrown out of a newspaper. They do not oppose the political power. With the Laz Marks play I try to be the voice of the thoughts against the power. People are being disturbed when I plain and clearly say what I want to say. I am going to continue to the utmost of my power. Otherwise, I will play in prison", Açıksözlü claimed. (EG/HK)