Members of the all-female Turkish music group Manifest and collaborating artist Ayça Dalaklı, known professionally as AYDEED, have been handed suspended prison sentences of three months and 22 days each on charges of "indecent acts through exhibitionism" following their concert performance earlier this year.
According to Turkish news outlet T24, the Istanbul 49th Criminal Court of First Instance issued the ruling after reviewing footage from the group's 18+ concert held at Küçükçiftlik Park in September. The court opted to defer the announcement of the verdict, a legal mechanism that effectively suspends the sentence provided the defendants do not commit similar offenses within a specified period. Additionally, the judicial travel ban that had been imposed on the artists was lifted.
The case involves Manifest members Esin Bahat, Hilal Yelekli, Lidya Pınar, Sueda Uluca, Zeynep Sude Oktay, and Mina Solak, alongside guest performer Dalaklı. The court reached its decision based solely on documentary evidence without requiring the accused to appear before the judge.
In its written reasoning, the court described the performers' stage movements as constituting criminal behavior under Article 225/1 of the Turkish Penal Code. The ruling specifically cited "dance figures where two singers made contact in an embracing manner evoking sexual intercourse," performers "bending over with their backs to the audience while making gestures toward sexual areas over their clothing," and "hand movements reminiscent of touching another person's genital region."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had initially filed an indictment seeking up to one year of imprisonment for the artists, alleging that their dance choreography was "sexual in nature," "damaging to public morality and privacy," and "openly accessible to many people including children."
The September concert attracted approximately 12,000 attendees and sparked immediate controversy on social media. Within days of the performance, authorities announced they had launched an investigation into potential exhibitionism and indecency charges.
The prosecution's approach drew criticism from legal experts at the time. Attorney Ekin Baltaş, Secretary of the Istanbul Bar Association Women's Rights Center, had previously told T24 that applying such charges to stage performances was legally unprecedented. "Looking at this legally, applying these articles to stage performance is impossible," Baltaş stated. "Freedom of expression and artistic freedom are constitutional rights. No legal regulation can supersede constitutional rights."
Baltaş had expressed confidence that conviction was unlikely, noting that courts have historically issued acquittals in similar cases involving women accused of indecency based solely on their appearance or clothing. "I believe it is nearly impossible for these female artists to receive punishment from this," she had said.
The deferred verdict means the artists avoid immediate imprisonment but remain under judicial supervision. Should they be convicted of similar offenses during the deferral period, the original sentence could be activated.
The case has reignited debate in Turkey regarding artistic freedom, women's rights, and the application of public morality laws to performance art.
Photo: T24