Turkish court arrests LGBTI+ activist over tweets condemning racists attacks on Syrians

Duvar English

LGBTI+ rights activist İris Mozalar, who was detained in Istanbul during a home raid on the evening of July 10, was arrested by a Turkish court on July 11.

The reason for Mozalar’s arrest was her anti-racist social media posts after the attacks on businesses and vehicles belonging to Syrian refugees in Kayseri's Melikgazi district starting on June 30.

In her posts, Mozalar stated that she stood against racist attacks towards Syrian refugees which even resulted in a death of a child in later days.

However, the Istanbul 9th Penal Court of Peace decided to arrest Mozalar on charges of "inciting hatred and enmity and insulting the public."

Mozalar, reached through her lawyers, told online news outlet Yeşil Gazete, "I want to repeat what I said in the court when the judge read out my arrest decision: While those who burned the homes of little children and those who wanted to commit massacres are released, I am arrested for criticizing this." 

After the arrest decision, many LGBTI+ and feminist organizations shared support messages to Mozalar. Istanbul Pride Week organization committee stated, “Standing for an equal and free life is not a crime.”

Even though Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has shared that 474 people were detained nationwide in racist attacks against Syrian migrants, there has not been another announcement whether any arrest was made. Some of the attackers had criminal records for offenses such as migrant smuggling, looting, or sexual harassment.

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