'Pride cannot be put on trial'

The second hearing of the trial involving members of the Science Education Aesthetics Cultural Arts Research Foundation (BEKSAV) Cinema Collective, who were arrested after the screening of the film "Pride," intended to be presented to the audience on June 7, 2023, as part of LGBTI+ Pride Month, took place today. The screening was prohibited.

The trial, which took place at İstanbul Anatolian 45th Penal Court of First Instance, involving eight individuals in the "Pride Film" case, has been adjourned to April 18, 2024, to allow the prosecutor to prepare their opinion on the merits.

In response to the ongoing trial, the Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), Kaos GL Association, and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) released a statement, asserting, "Pride cannot be put on trial," according to BEKSAV.

What happened?

On June 7, 2023, the BEKSAV building in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul was cordoned off before the scheduled screening of the film "Pride" (2014) as part of BEKSAV's LGBTI+ Pride Month events.

Filmmakers and artists, who wanted to negotiate with the police regarding the screening ban, were held under siege for an extended period and later detained with acts of torture.

The roads leading to BEKSAV were blocked with police barricades, and those expressing solidarity with those detained were also subjected to violence. The members of the BEKSAV Cinema Collective who were detained were released in the early morning hours in front of a hospital located tens of kilometers away from the foundation.

On September 12, 2023, a case was opened regarding the individuals who were detained under ill-treatment. (TY/VK)