MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Lawsuit for damages due to violence against and detention of Bülent Kılıç
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Bülent Kılıç
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2021
LAST UPDATED
06/09/2021
IMPUNITY CATEGORY
Impunity for Violence
MEDIA
International Media

The Law Unit of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) filed a lawsuit for damages on behalf of AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılıç, who was subjected to police violence while reporting on the 19th İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Parade on June 26, 2021. The petition recounted that Kılıç was detained with torture on Mis Street in Beyoğlu, where was photographing the Pride Parade attempted to be prevented by the law enforcement. The Law Unit demanded non-pecuniary damages in addition to pecuniary damages for his damaged cameras and for the days when he was unable to work due to his damage. The images captured during the detention of Kılıç reminded people of the moment of late George Floyd’s detention in the US, which sparked the harsh criticisms of several rights organizations. The petition indicated that the Beyoğlu District Security Director apologized to Bülent Kılıç, who was taken to the security directorate for detention, and took action to have his camera repaired; however, both of his cameras were returned to the journalist in an unusable condition (September 6).