Boğaziçi exhibition case: Ministry of Justice defends arrests, cites 'haram' remarks about LGBTI+s

Photo: Kaos GL

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The Ministry of Justice has responded to the Constitutional Court in a case concerning an exhibition by the Boğaziçi University LGBTI+ Club.

Seven students were investigated for "degrading religious values adopted by a section of the public" because of an artwork depicting Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam.

They were later charged with "inciting the people into hatred and animosity," which allows judges to arrest defendants, unlike the "degrading religious values" offense.

Selahattin Can Uğuzeş, a Boğaziçi student, and another student, were arrested on January 30 and released after the first hearing on March 17.

After his release, he applied to the Constitutional Court, alleging that his right to personal freedom and liberty was violated.

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Responding to the top court, the head of the Ministry of Justice Department of Human Rights, Dr. Hacı Ali Açıkgül, cited homophobic remarks in the indictment of the case, Kaos GL reported.

The ministry's statement repeats some expressions in the indictment such as "Images regarding homosexuality and similar sexual orientations that are considered forbidden and haram [fobbidden] in the Islamic religious literature," "[the artwork in the exhibition] incites a section of the public into hatred and animosity against another section that has different characteristics in terms of a social section known as the LGBTI+ and the Muslim citizens which make up the majority of the Turkish society," according to the Kaos GL report.

The ministry alleged that the arrests of two people were right.

The exhibition subject to the case was held in January as part of the protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's appointment of a new rector to the school. (EMK/VK)