25/08/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
Enes Hocaoğulları, writing a letter from prison, invited people to his hearing scheduled for September 8.
Enes Hocaoğulları, a youth delegate and ÜniKuir staff member who was detained for his speech at the Council of Europe, sent a letter to the public on the 15th day of his detention.
Saying, “It is impossible to talk about human rights, democracy, and the rule of law without considering the health, well-being, and safety of those behind these four walls,” Enes invited people to his hearing scheduled for September 8.
Here is the full letter:
“We are on the 15th day of my detention.
Each of these days has passed with the tacit acknowledgment that prisons are also a part of the country.
It is impossible to talk about human rights, democracy, and the rule of law without considering the health, well-being, and safety of those behind these four walls.
As we continue our struggle at home, at work, in the streets, at school, during holidays, in public squares, in courtrooms, and at international conferences, let us not forget the prisoners and detainees who read the limited news reaching them with pride!
I hope to see a colorful courtroom on September 8, take care of yourselves.
Enes
20.08.25”
Enes Hocaoğulları will appear before the judge on September 8
Enes Hocaoğulları, a youth delegate to the Council of Europe and staff member at ÜniKuir, was detained the moment he landed at Ankara Esenboğa Airport on August 5. Hocaoğulları, representing Turkey as a youth delegate at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, was arrested the same day.
An indictment was prepared against Hocaoğulları on charges of “publicly spreading misleading information” and “inciting hatred and enmity among the public” due to his speech at the Council of Europe.
Earlier, Hocaoğulları had been targeted on social media for the speech he delivered at the Council of Europe in April as a youth delegate. In particular, his speech describing the events following the March 19 protests and related human rights violations became the basis for the charges in the indictment.
The public prosecutor requested the case to be opened, arguing that mentioning human rights violations reported in the media and in human rights reports constituted “publicly spreading misleading information aimed at causing social division, pitting segments of society against each other, and thereby disturbing public peace and the security and order of society, while targeting the country’s reputation; and publicly inciting hatred and enmity against a segment of the population” and that the suspect carried out these acts in a way accessible to an indefinite number of people.
The Ankara 86th Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment and decided to open the case. Hocaoğulları will stand trial on charges of “publicly spreading misleading information” and “publicly inciting hatred and enmity among the public.” The first hearing of the trial is scheduled for September 8 at 11.55 a.m.
Tags: human rights, life, lgbti
