On July 4, 2025, Academic for Peace and feminist psychologist Dr. Aslı Aydemir was detained in a home raid on the grounds that a police officer had been injured during the attack carried out on the premises of the satirical magazine LeMan by a male mob that chanted pro-sharia slogans and the ensuing altercation. She was later placed under pre-trial detention on charges of “committing wilful injury”.
On the evening of 30 June, a male mob demanding sharia gathered claiming that a cartoon published in the satirical magazine LeMan had insulted religious values, broke the windows of the magazine’s premises in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, chanted slogans clearly expressing violence and death threats such as, “Either they die or we die”, “A tooth for a tooth, we demand revenge”, “War, weapons, martyrdom” and threatened to arson the building. Although in recent years, peaceful mass demonstrations in and around this neighbourhood have been disproportionately prevented by blocking off the entire area, police forces did not carry out any intervention whatsoever against the aforementioned violent mob.
At the time of the incident, Dr. Aslı Aydemir was in the neighbourhood and on the street where she always spends her time, and she verbally reacted to the violent actions and words of the aggressive mob, upon which she faced a physical attack from the mob. During the altercation that targeted Aslı, a police officer was injured because of the actions of the same mob. Although the factuality of the course of events clearly requires that the aggressors be investigated and tried, an investigation was initiated against Dr. Aslı Aydemir and she has been under pre-trial detention since 4 July. We demand that the unlawful pre-trial detention is immediately withdrawn, Dr. Aslı Aydemir is released and that a decision of non-prosecution is passed in her case.
Who is Dr. Aslı Aydemir?
Aslı Aydemir graduated from the Istanbul University Department of Psychology. She completed her master’s degree and PhD in the field of social psychology. She worked as an academic at Dicle University and Istanbul University. In 2016, refusing to remain silent in the face of the war being waged in the Kurdish provinces, she signed the Academics for Peace Petition. She was then dismissed from her position at Dicle University on 24 December 2017 with Decree Law No. 695 for signing the Academics for Peace Petition. Despite being dismissed from her position, she continued her PhD research without interruption, and despite all challenges, earned the title of “doctor” by successfully completing the process. Her academic research into ageism has made a significant contribution to this specific field. She is a feminist that expressly displays a stance against patriarchal structures and defends gender equality. In her articles published on the feminist web site Çatlak Zemin, she made important contributions on the subjects of gerontology, sexism and ageism. She is a member of the Education and Science Workers’ Union Istanbul Branch 6 for Universities, and a volunteer for the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. Dr. Aslı Aydemir is also a member of the Association of Psychologists for Social Solidarity (TODAP) and a specialist who, through a critical psychological perspective, focuses on public mental health and works towards the introduction of professional legislation that sides with society and peace. It was in this context that, following the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, she volunteered to provide psychological support and worked for an extended period in the earthquake zone.