Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan visited Çiğdem Mater and Mine Özerden, who are detained in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison. The two women have been sentenced to 18 years in prison in the Gezi Trial.

On April 25, prominent businessman and rights advocate Osman Kavala was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "attempting to overthrow the government." The other seven defendants, including Mater and Özerden, were found guilty of "aiding" him and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Both filmmakers had also worked for Anadolu Kültür, a non-profit cultural organization founded by Kavala.

Mater is a film producer and journalist. She was one of 13 civil society figures arrested in November 2018 by the Turkish government in connection to the crackdown against people and organisations connected to philanthropist Osman Kavala and the 2013 Gezi Park protests.

Filmmaker Mine Özerden, worked as a coordinator at Taksim Platform, a non-governmental organization established in 2011 against the urban transformation project in Taksim Square.