A queer pop star in Turkey is facing obscenity charges for showing two men dancing together in a music video.
A court in Istanbul received an indictment from Turkish prosecutors who claim that Mabel Matiz’s video for “Ha Leyli” violates the country’s obscenity laws. If convicted, he could get six months to three years in prison and a fine.
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The video shows a wedding, with different guests and members of the wedding party depicted. Matiz and the groom look at each other throughout the video. At the end, everyone is tired on the ground, while two men – the groom and Matiz – are still dancing. They are shown dancing with rapid arm movements, but they don’t touch.
The indictment notes that the groom has removed his jacket for that part of the video. He is still wearing a vest and a shirt.
Matiz denied that that part of the video is obscene.
“Two people looking at each other and dancing together is not a crime,” he told prosecutors in August, according to Turkish Minute. He said the video is art and open to interpretation. He said that claims that it is obscene are related to the fact that he is out as queer.
The indictment comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian regime cracks down on LGBTQ+ people, as part of its “My Family is Safe” initiative, ostensibly to combat falling birth rates.
Over the weekend of September 13, police raided LGBTQ+ bars, the offices of LGBTQ+ associations, and the homes of activists across 12 provinces, resulting in dozens of people being detained. According to AFP, prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for more than 160 people. Authorities have also reportedly blocked access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organizations and activists.
And this week, Turkey’s justice ministry shut down a major news website for publishing “LGBT propaganda.”
Matiz faced prosecution earlier this year over his 2025 song Perperişan. A court acquitted him in May, saying the state failed to make its case.
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