In April 2022, Turkish film producer and cultural advocate Çiğdem Mater was sentenced to 18 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the government.” The conviction, rooted in the far-reaching prosecutions stemming from the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was built around Mater’s plans to make a documentary about the protests—a film that was never produced. Her case has come to symbolize the criminalization of artistic intention in Turkey.
From Creativity to Incarceration
Mater’s work bridges cinema, cultural dialogue, and civic engagement. She helped produce critically recognized films such as Dust Cloth, Majority, and Sivas, and collaborated as local producer for Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow. As coordinator of the Armenia–Turkey Cinema Platform and a contributor to Anadolu Kültür and Boğaziçi University’s Mithat Alam Film Center, Mater used creative projects to foster cross-border dialogue.
Yet, when authorities revived prosecutions against figures linked to the Gezi Park movement, Mater’s project became state evidence. Prosecutors alleged that Mater’s discussions about financing a documentary demonstrated an intent to incite unrest—a charge never before leveled against filmmakers for planning, not producing, a work. The courtroom accepted phone transcripts and meeting records about film funding as proof of sedition, concluding her “intention to make a film” as criminal conspiracy.
Gezi Park Protests and Political Fallout
The 2013 Gezi Park protests began as a small environmental action in Istanbul, evolving into a broader movement against government overreach. Violence erupted, leading to deaths and widespread detentions. The trials that followed targeted artists, activists, and philanthropists, including Anadolu Kültür founder Osman Kavala. Mater’s sentencing occurred in tandem with Kavala’s, as part of a wider campaign to discourage civil engagement.
Legal Developments and Appeals
After Mater’s sentencing in April 2022, her conviction was upheld by the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeals in December 2022, and by the Supreme Court of Appeals in September 2023, making the decision legally final in Turkey. Her case now waits before the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing claims of unfair trial practices and rights violations. In 2025, attention shifted to the Court’s partial ruling in favor of a co-defendant, Tayfun Kahraman, sparking hopes that retrials for Mater and others could be ordered soon.
Mater remains detained in Istanbul’s Bakırköy Women’s Prison. Accounts from lawyers and fellow inmates highlight arbitrary punishments, invasive searches, and enduring difficulties accessing medical care—tactics widely condemned by international rights monitors.
Voice from Prison
Mater has continued to write and instruct from within prison, reflecting on the irony of being jailed for a film that never existed. Her interviews and essays stress the broader significance of Turkey treating artistic imagination as grounds for criminal prosecution. In one essay, she wrote that her conviction represents “a sentence against imagination itself.” These reflections circulate internationally, inspiring solidarity among artists and advocates confronting censorship.
Global Solidarity and Advocacy
Mater’s imprisonment has galvanized international support. Amnesty International condemned her conviction as “a politically-motivated blow for human rights,” while PEN International and the European Film Academy have repeatedly called for her release. The European Film Academy included Mater on its Film Directors and Producers at Risk list in 2024. Major festivals such as Berlinale and IDFA featured debates and screenings about her case, framing the attacks on artistic expression in Turkey as a warning to creative communities worldwide.
Diplomatic pressure continues. The European Union and various governments have cited her case when urging Turkey to meet its obligations under European human rights conventions. The UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights has identified Mater’s imprisonment as a key example of state repression of artists. Despite these efforts, Mater remains detained—but calls for retrial and release have gained new momentum following recent court developments.
The Broader Meaning: Art and Repression
Mater’s conviction is now viewed as a turning point for cultural freedoms in Turkey. By criminalizing the intention to create, authorities have deepened anxieties among artists, many of whom fear reprisal for politically sensitive or critical work. Some have opted for metaphor and allegory, while others continue their creative endeavors in exile.
Despite repression, Mater’s story remains a source of inspiration. Her imprisonment is both a warning and a rallying point for those who believe that artistic and civic freedoms are inseparable. As Mater herself wrote in a prison letter, “If thinking of a film is a crime, then every dreamer here is already guilty.”
Turkish film producer and human rights advocate Çiğdem Mater has spent over three years in prison—not for a film she made, but for a film she only planned. Her conviction in the Gezi Park case shows how artistic intention itself is under threat in today’s Turkey. At Mimeta, we highlight her story as part of the global fight for artistic freedom. Read the latest on Mater’s legal struggle and the worldwide campaign for her release.
#ArtisticFreedom #HumanRights #FreeCigdemMater #FreedomOfExpression #GeziPark
Sources:
News Report: Freedom of Expression in Turkey in Light of Gezi Park Case, hriui.com, September 22, 2025hriui
Turkey's top court rules violation of rights for Gezi Park defendants, turkishminute.com, July 30, 2025turkishminute
Türkiye: Highest Court's decision in Gezi Park case condemned, PEN International, December 18, 2023pen-international
World Report 2025: Türkiye | Human Rights Watch, hrw.org, January 15, 2025 hrw
Bakırköy Prison interviews, bianet.orgbianet
European Film Academy: Release Çiğdem Mater, europeanfilmacademy.org, April 27, 2022europeanfilmacademy
Türkiye: Upholding sentence against Osman Kavala and four other Gezi prisoners, Amnesty Internationalamnesty
Widespread human rights violations reported in Turkish prisons in 2024, turkishminute.com, January 3, 2025turkishminute
Gezi Trial: 18 Years in Prison for an Unfilmed Movie, mlsaturkey.com, January 16, 2024mlsaturkey
Amnesty Europe Newsletter Feb 2025, amnesty.org.ukamnesty
Türkiye: Acquittal of three Gezi Park defendants brings hope, amnesty.org, February 12, 2025amnesty
Türkiye faces new constitutional standoff after court rejects retrial, ankahaber.net, November 8, 2025ankahaber
Why the Gezi Seven must be freed, Amnesty Internationalamnesty
Prison conditions 2025, prison-insider.comprison-insider
