Kadıköy District Bans Memorial for Trans Woman Arya at 16:50, Police Surround LGBTQ+ Activists

Kadıköy District Administration banned a demonstration planned for November 8 in front of Kadıköy Süreyya Opera House by the "What Happened to Arya?" Initiative, which sought justice for 19-year-old trans woman Arya, who died on April 13 in a dormitory at TOBB Economy and Technology University. The ban was announced to the public at 16:50 today; police surrounded LGBTQ+ individuals present in the area before the demonstration.

According to information relayed by journalist Yusuf Çelik, LGBTQ+ activists who spoke with police for some time left the area without holding the demonstration.

The district administration based its ban on the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations No. 2911 and the Provincial Administration Law No. 5442. In its statement, the administration argued that the planned demonstration, which was to use the slogan "Murder, not suicide! We are in the streets to demand accountability for Arya, aged 19, murdered in a TOBB ETÜ dormitory by being driven to suicide!" could cause uproar in society and "threaten social peace." The district administration banned all press statements, marches, sit-ins, rallies and similar events in open areas throughout the district from November 8 at 00:00 for one day, as well as calls for such events, distribution of leaflets, and setting up booths.

The initiative established after Arya's death stated that Arya had been subjected to verbal, physical, and digital violence throughout her education and dormitory life, and had been targeted by dormitory management and some students. The initiative also pointed out that basic digital materials such as phones and computers had not yet been examined in the investigation, demanding that systematic transphobia and institutional negligence be investigated.