Turkish prosecutors drop investigation into FEMEN activists

The İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to drop nudity charges against four FEMEN activists detained in Sultanahmet Square on March 8 during their topless demonstration against violence against women.
The group of Ukrainian women’s rights activists, donning only underwear and bruise-like make-up, chanted slogans and held up banners during their one-minute protest to mark International Women’s Day.

The four activists were dragged into a police vehicle and driven away, after which the İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation to determine whether or not the protest had been a demonstration of sexuality. Shortly thereafter, the FEMEN activists were deported to Kiev.

However, the prosecutors dropped the charges, the Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday afternoon, after determining the purpose of the demonstration was to protest gender-based violence, an issue that prosecutors said is on Turkey’s agenda. According to the İstanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office, the FEMEN protest was not meant to be a display of obscenity.

The women’s rights group FEMEN strives to protest the basic human rights of women. Known for their topless demonstrations, the activists argue a naked woman is a free woman and that their protests are meant to challenge patriarchal societies.

Turkish prosecutors drop investigation into FEMEN activists.

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