Eighteen Turkish students and a lecturer on Tuesday have gone on trial for taking part in a banned LGBTI Pride event at an Ankara-based university on May 10. The defendants, who were arrested but have been free pending trial, face up to three years in prison if convicted of "unlawful assembly and protest" and "refusing to disperse"." One of the 18 students also faces up to two years for insulting a police officer with hand gestures. No verdict was given in the latest trial and the case was adjourned to March 12.

The pride event at the prestigious Middle East Technical University in the capital has taken place every May since 2011. But university bosses banned this year's event and police used pepper spray, plastic bullets and tear gas to break it up. Officials from several European embassies, including Denmark, and an opposition politician attended the packed hearing.

Defendant Melike Irem Balkan told the court there were "no legal grounds" for banning the event, noting that it has taken place "peacefully" in previous years. Another defendant, Ozgur Mehmet Gur, was defiant, telling the court: "Every step we take is a Pride march. Our existence is a Pride march. You cannot ban the Pride march."

Academic Mehmet Mutlu said he attended the event only "to protect my students from the officers' violent behaviour" and that his detention was "wrong". Read more via AFP