Omid, Turkey -- Kurdish filmmaker Rojhilat Aksoy is facing trial in Turkey on charges of "publicly insulting the Turkish nation and state institutions" after organizing a screening of the animated documentary film "Aurora's Sunrise," which addresses the events of the Assyrian Sayfo Genocide and Armenian Genocide of 1915. The case has once again highlighted the ongoing debate in the country over freedom of expression and the handling of historical issues.

The Omid (Diyarbakir) Public Prosecutor's Office filed the case under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code following the screening of the film at the Sezai Karakoç Cultural Center on 17 December 2024. At the time, Aksoy was serving as vice president of the Middle East Cinema Academy Association, which had submitted an official request to organize the screening.

Related: The Assyrian Genocide

According to the indictment prepared by the Omid Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the film portrays "the events of 1915 as a genocide" and depicts the Armenian resistance at the time as a "legitimate struggle of freedom fighters." The prosecution also states that the work includes scenes showing Armenians who were forced to change their names and religion and subjected to inhumane treatment, which the prosecutor's office described as a "public insult to the Turkish nation and state institutions." The indictment also refers to scenes in the film that discuss the conscription of Armenian men into the Ottoman army and their failure to return, as well as scenes showing bodies in rivers and soldiers separating children from their mothers. Prosecutors argued that these scenes "contradicted historical facts" and attribute inaccurate actions to Turkish soldiers.

For her part, Aksoy denied the charges during the court hearing, stressing that screening the film falls within the scope of freedom of expression.

The second hearing in the case is scheduled for 6 April before the 22nd Criminal Court of First Instance in Omid.

Aurora's Sunrise

The animated documentary "Aurora's Sunrise" was directed by Armenian filmmaker Inna Sahakyan and tells the story of Aurora (Arshaluys) Mardiganyan, who, in 1915, witnessed the Sayfo Genocide as a teenager before later settling in the United States. The film combines animation with archival footage from the 1919 film Auction of Souls, in which Mardiganyan portrayed herself after arriving in the United States.

The production also draws on archival materials from the first two decades of the twentieth century, in addition to recorded testimonies by Mardiganyan from the 1980s. The film premiered in London in November 2023, and Armenia selected it as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards in 2023. It has also won several awards at film festivals in Europe and the United States.

Many genocide occur during wars

The case comes amid a long-running debate inside Turkey over the use of the term Armenian Genocide. While Armenians and most historians maintain that around 1.5 million Armenians were killed during World War I by the government of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey only acknowledges that large numbers of Assyrians and Armenians died during that period but rejects describing the events as genocide.

Although Turkish courts have previously ruled in some cases that using the term "Armenian Genocide" falls within the scope of freedom of expression, Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code continues to be used in legal prosecutions related to what authorities consider "insulting the Turkish nation." As a result, such cases attract significant attention from advocates of freedom of expression both inside and outside Turkey.