Comedian Tuba Ulu had been detained on April 9th and released under judicial control due to her expressions during her stand-up show about the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, where she said, "History is full of the victories of f... buddies. Even Suleiman the Magnificent married his f... buddy, then boom, the woman forced the marriage and ruled the whole world." Yesterday, Ulu appeared before the judge for her third and final hearing.
In the ongoing case at the Istanbul 13th Criminal Court of First Instance, the prosecutor, who gave their opinion in the previous hearing, argued that freedom of expression has limits, and that the terms "f*** buddy" and "the woman forced the marriage" used in Ulu's show contained sexual humiliation targeting the female body and were of a nature to disrupt public order, demanding the defendant's punishment.
Stating that she applies positive discrimination toward women, Ulu said in her defense today: "Contrary to the indictment, I do not accept the allegations of humiliating women. As a woman living and struggling in every field in Turkey, I do not accept this accusation. It is impossible for me to commit the crime in question. I have never engaged in such an action in my profession either. In my shows, I take the side of women and practice positive discrimination toward them. Although it was written as 'body' in the indictment, what I referred is a phrase I used meaning sexual friendship. There is mutuality in this friendship. There is no commodification of the female body. I request my acquittal."
According to the report by T24 reporter Can Öztürk, when asked for her final words after her lawyer's defense, Ulu said, "As a comedian, I believe I spoke of highly unifying elements rather than divisive or polarizing ones."
In the third hearing of the case heard at the Istanbul 13th Criminal Court of First Instance, Tuba Ulu was sentenced to 5 months in prison on charges of "publicly degrading a segment of the public." The court ruled to defer the announcement of the verdict.
