Trans activist Iris Mozalar arrested

LGBTQI+ activist and member of the Turkish Workers' Party (TİP) Iris Mozalar's home was raided in Istanbul on the evening of July 10th. At that moment, Iris wrote on her "X" platform: "I am being detained." (Iris's X account has since been deleted). It was confirmed on July 11th that she had been arrested.

The prosecutor requested on the evening of July 11th for Mozalar's arrest on charges of "inciting public hatred and hostility," which was sent to the 9th Criminal Court. Mozalar was expected to be taken to Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison. The reason for Mozalar's arrest was her social media posts related to the attacks on businesses and vehicles owned by Syrians after a Syrian man sexually abused a child in Kayseri on June 30th.

“Turkish Labour Party LGBTI+ Studies” released a statement saying: "Our comrade Iris was arrested for expressing the desire for peace and friendship on behalf of oppressed groups. We stand by Iris, long live the struggle!"

Additionally, Istanbul Pride Week and Istanbul Trans Pride Week social media accounts called for Iris's immediate release and urged Turkish authorities to respect freedom of expression.

LGBTQI+ rights activist Mozalar was released late on July 12. This was reported by KaosGL.

According to the news in Bianet, Mozalar said the following after her release:

“I was released. Surprisingly. Normally, I was meeting with my lawyer friends just two hours ago and was crying a lot. I'm crying with happiness right now. I feel very good [...] I know that I was arrested very unlawfully [...] and that I spent one night in detention and one night in prison [...] I am also very happy that this unlawfulness has been reversed. [...] I would like to thank everyone who worked hard during this process, came to the protest, that is, went and showed their solidarity with me in any way, or sent me greetings."

Recently, an article about Mozalar's story, struggle, and challenges of being a trans woman activist in Turkey was published by the international media organization "France 24."

Author: Alex Shah