An Istanbul court has once again concluded that the ban issued on the exhibition titled “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Türkiye,” which opened at Depo in 2024 and was subsequently banned by the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office shortly afterwards, was lawful.
Organized by the 10th Trans Pride Week Exhibition Collective and opened on 26 June 2024, the exhibition was banned by a decision issued by the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office on 11 July 2024. In accordance with the decision, the exhibition was closed before its scheduled closing date, and content relating to the exhibition on the internet and social media was also removed. The District Governor’s Office, which claimed that the event was of a “provocative nature that undermines national unity and solidarity,” explained the grounds for the ban as “national security, public order, the prevention of crime, and the protection of public health and public morality.”
Anadolu Kültür AŞ, which also operates the Depo, one of Istanbul’s leading independent art and culture venues, filed a lawsuit against the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office, arguing that “banning a cultural event that does not involve any criminal activity on the assumption that it could disrupt public order constitutes a violation of freedom of expression and thought.” The case was heard at the Istanbul 19th Administrative Court. At the hearing on 24 September 2025, the ban imposed by the District Governor’s Office was found to be contrary to the law and was annulled. In its annulment ruling, the court stated that the preventive policing measure implemented through the ban was not proportionate in terms of restricting the freedom of thought and expression, which are protected by constitutional guarantees, and that there was no question of public order or security being endangered.
The Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office, claiming that the ban in question had been imposed in accordance with the law, appealed against the decision of the Istanbul 19th Administrative Court. The appellate court ruled that the assessment that the event could provoke reactions and provocations from opposing groups due to social sensitivities constituted sufficient grounds for the ban.
Anadolu Kültür AŞ stated that “the appeal process remains open and, if necessary, they will take the ban decision all the way to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).”
