Over 100 women, LGBTI+ activists briefly detained after İstanbul Women’s Day march

More than 100 women and LGBTI+ activists were detained following the Feminist Night March in Beyoğlu İstanbul on Mar 8. 

After the demonstration ended in Cihangir neighborhood, police encircled a group of activists and eventually detained 112 of them. During the confrontation, officers cited the chanting of “banned slogans” as the reason for their action.

Feminist activist Feride Eralp criticized the police response, saying, “There are probably 100 to 200 of us here. Out of a protest attended by thousands, you have somehow managed to trap this small group. This is disgraceful. What you are doing here is completely arbitrary.”

She called on the police to allow the crowd to disperse peacefully. “Do not use violence against women on Mar 8 Women’s Day. If you try to detain us here, you will have to use force on all of us—and you know that. Let this day end without violence. Your duty is to protect women from violence, not to inflict it. These women marched today for their rights and freedoms, for an end to male violence. Let us go.”

Police deployed vehicles to the scene and eventually detained all the encircled demonstrators.

LGBTI+ activist released after arrest request

Among those detained was LGBTI+ activist İris Mozalar, who was later referred to İstanbul’s 3rd Penal Judgeship of Peace with a request for arrest on charges of “insulting the president” and violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.

Mozalar spent the night in police custody before being transferred to Çağlayan Courthouse.

According to Mozalar’s lawyer, Gizem Karaköçek, prosecutors requested the arrest without even taking a statement from Mozalar.

The case file did not provide detailed reasoning for the arrest request, but one of the slogans chanted during the march—“Jump, jump, those who don’t jump are Tayyip”—was listed as evidence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

During police questioning, Mozalar was also asked about slogans including “Jin, jiyan, azadî” (Woman, life, freedom), “Resistance against all odds, freedom against all odds,” and “If women were free, the world would shake.”

Mozalar was ultimately released under judicial control, with an international travel ban. (TY/VK)