Rabia Çetin
A Turkish court acquitted seven students from Istanbul's Boğaziçi University on Friday over a controversial artwork featuring religious and LGBTQ+ symbols that drew national backlash and led to their prosecution following 2021 student protests.
The ruling was delivered by the Istanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance during its 14th hearing, which was relocated to a larger courtroom belonging to the 16th High Criminal Court due to space limitations. The students did not attend the hearing, but their lawyers and families were present.
The students were tried over a mixed-media artwork that included an image of the Kaaba—Islam's holiest site in Mecca—alongside LGBTQ+ flags and a depiction of Şahmeran, a mythical figure in Middle Eastern folklore. The piece was displayed during a student-organized exhibition on Boğaziçi University's South Campus in January 2021, amid protests against the appointment of an external rector, Melih Bulu, by presidential decree.
The protests, led by students and faculty members, were widely seen as a symbol of resistance against growing political interference in academic institutions in Turkey.
“This is not criminal behavior”
The defense team argued there was no evidence linking the students directly to the creation or display of the controversial artwork. An attorney for defendant Doğu Demirtaş read a message from his client, stating: “I believe they hate us. Because they are powerful in politics and the judiciary, they want to punish us.”
The lawyer emphasized that nearly 300 works were exhibited during the three-day event and that there was no proof Demirtaş had anything to do with the piece in question. Another defense lawyer noted the exhibit was not open to the general public, stressing that the students “are not people who incite hatred or hostility.”
The artwork in question has since gone missing, and the defense argued its absence further weakened the case.
Complaint against pro-government media
An attorney for Selahattin Uğuzeş blamed the pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak for igniting public outrage by publishing a story claiming the artwork had been placed on the ground. “The only thing insulting public values in this case is the news report itself. We request the court file a criminal complaint against Yeni Şafak for inciting hatred against the LGBTQ+ community,” the lawyer said.
Another defense attorney, representing Sedanur Baş, argued that “expressing something contrary to religious values is not the same as insulting religion.” He also criticized the lack of investigation into the creator of the artwork and pointed out that no concrete threat to public order had emerged from the exhibition.
Attorneys for Sena Nur Baş, Rumeysa Özüyağlı, and Eda Kalafat also requested acquittal, maintaining their clients had committed no crime.
After the final defense statements, the court recessed briefly before announcing the acquittal of all seven students.
Background of the case
The exhibition took place on Jan. 29, 2021, during protests sparked by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s appointment of Melih Bulu as rector—marking the first time in decades a Boğaziçi University rector had been appointed from outside the institution.
A student group called the Boğaziçi Islamic Research Club (BİSAK) condemned the artwork as “immoral.” Shortly afterward, Yeni Şafak published a report alleging the image had been displayed on the ground, further fueling controversy. Senior government figures, including then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, then-Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, and the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, Ali Erbaş, issued statements targeting the students.
Seven students were detained during the subsequent investigation. Two were jailed and five placed under house arrest. The detained students were released after 47 days.
