Turkey’s opposition politicians, bar associations and rights groups made a joint show of force in front of Istanbul’s main courthouse on June 1 to protest the lawsuit that threatens to shutter Turkey’s oldest and most vocal anti-femicide group. 

The We Will Stop Femicides Platform, which provides legal advice and advocacy to women who need protection from violence, is fighting for survival as it faces half a dozen charges that range from “undermining the family” to “insulting the president.”

“You will not be able to stop us,” Gulsum Kav, the platform's chair, said in a statement in front of the court, pledging to fight the charges. “But we, through our determined efforts, will stop femicides. The crowd here - with representatives of political parties, bar associations, survivors of violence and families of femicide victims, showed us that we do not walk alone."

213 groups, including bars, universities and women's groups, signed a petition of support. Whilst representatives of Turkey's left-wing parties were present at court, the only center-right party that showed up for support was DEVA, which is part of the six-party coalition lead by the Republican Peoples' Party. Ali Babacan, DEVA chair and a former minister of the AKP, condemned the charges as "legally baseless."