Enes Hocaoğulları

Enes Hocaoğulları
Born2002 (age 22–23)
CitizenshipTurkey
OccupationHuman rights activist
OrganizationÜniKuir
Criminal chargesDisseminating false information to mislead the public
Criminal statusBailed

Enes Hocaoğulları (born 2002) is a Turkish human rights activist. He gave a speech at the 48th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, following which he was arrested by Turkish authorities on charges widely criticised by national and international human rights groups.

Biography

Hocaoğulları is based in Ankara, Turkey. Since 2022, he has been the international advocacy and fundraising coordinator for ÜniKuir, a student LGBTQ rights organisation in Turkey.[1]

In February 2025, Hocaoğulları was selected as the youth delegate from Turkey at the 48th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, held in Strasbourg, France. On 27 March 2025, he gave four oral statements on topics including the state of local and regional democracy in Georgia; combating homelessness in cities and towns; and the dismissal and detention of mayors in Turkey, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, who had been arrested a week earlier.[1][2][3] Hocaoğulları referenced the use of "disproportionate violence" against citizens protesting İmamoğlu's arrest and stated "the youth have had enough... we are ready to go out on the streets to regain our freedoms".[4][5]

On 4 April 2025, an X account shared a video of Hocaoğulları's speech, describing him as a "provocateur and liar" who "complained about his country [to Europe] and begged for help". The account tagged numerous Turkish authorities, including the police, the Ministry of the Interior, and the General Directorate of Security. Further smears of Hocaoğulları occurred when he was identified as working for ÜniKuir, which was described as an agent of "moral corruption" and "foreign influence" in Turkey.[3][6] The Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Terror Crimes Bureau and the Ankara Public Prosecutor's Press Crimes Bureau both started separate investigations into Hocaoğulları, which subsequently merged into one intervestigation led by prosecutors in Ankara.[1][7]

On 5 August 2025, Hocaoğulları was detained at Ankara Esenboğa Airport after returning to Turkey from France. An arrest warrant had been issued by a court in Istanbul in relation to the comments he had made at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.[1][5] On 8 August, the Ankara Public Prosecutor issued an indictment against Hocaoğulları under article 217/A-1 of the Turkish Penal Code, "disseminating false information to mislead the public". The indictment alleged that the speech he gave at the Council of Europe was "misleading" and "not based on factual data" and designed to "create division" in Turkish society.[1] Hocaoğulları's lawyers appealed the decision, but a court upheld the indictment and ordered Hocaoğulları's ongoing pre-trial detention.[8]

As of August 2025, Hocaoğulları was detained in a prison in Sincan. His trial was due to start on 8 September at the Ankara 86th Criminal Court of First Instance.[1]

At the first hearing, which was attended by international observers including from the embassies of several European countries as well as the European Union, Hocaoğulları was released from pre-trial detention. His next hearing is scheduled for 23 February 2026.[9]

Response

Front Line Defenders stated it was "appalled" at Hocaoğulları's arrest and detention and described the criminal case against him as being a "reprisal" against his activism and an attempt to "silence dissenting voices" in Turkey.[1]

The European Youth Forum and the National Youth Council of Türkiye issued a joint statement "unequivocally" condemning Hocaoğulları's arrest.[3]

Amnesty International described Hocaoğulları as being "arbitrarily detained" and called for his immediate and unconditional release, stating he had been prosecuted for "peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and speaking out against human rights violations".[2]

Oliver Röpke, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, stated he was "deeply concerned" by the arrest and detention of Hocaoğulları, calling on Turkish authorities to release him "without delay", stating Turkey needed to uphold democratic standards, including the protection of fundamental rights, as a member of the Council of Europe and a European Union candidate country.[10]

Mat Cools, the president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, condemned Hocaoğulları's arrest, stating it "clearly disregarded" his right to freedom of expression.[7] 31 members of the European Parliament wrote a joint letter calling for his release.[11]

ÜniKuir stated "we stand against the imprisonment of our friend".[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Human rights defender Enes Hocaoğulları due to appear before the Ankara 86th Criminal Court of First Instance". Front Line Defenders. 2025-08-19. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  2. ^ a b "Urgent Action - Türkiye: Release Arbitrarily Imprisoned Activist: Enes Hocaoğulları". Amnesty International Ireland. 2025-08-19. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  3. ^ a b c "Release Enes Hocaoğulları! Youth activism and freedom of expression should never be punished". European Youth Forum. 2025-08-06. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  4. ^ a b "Council of Europe Youth Delegate Enes Hocaoğulları Imprisoned!". ÜniKuir (in Turkish). 2025-08-05. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  5. ^ a b "Turkey arrests youth activist after Council of Europe speech". DW. 2025-08-06. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  6. ^ "Turkey's war on free expression and the courage of Enes Hocaoğulları". ILGA-Europe. 2025-08-14. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  7. ^ a b "Avrupa Konseyi'nden gençlik delegesi Enes Hocaoğulları'nın tutuklanmasına tepki". Euronews (in Turkish). 2025-08-25. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  8. ^ "Enes Hocaoğulları, 8 Eylül'de hakim karşısına çıkacak". Kaos GL (in Turkish). 2025-08-14. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  9. ^ "Human rights defender Enes Hocaoğulları released after 35 days in pre-trial detention". Front Line Defenders. 2025-09-09. Archived from the original on 2025-09-09. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  10. ^ "Statement - Enes Hocaoğulları". European Economic and Social Committee. 2025-08-11. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  11. ^ "Avrupa Parlamentosu ve Uluslararası Af Örgütü'nden tutuklu Enes Hocaoğulları için çağrı". Agos (in Turkish). 2025-08-22. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
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