Turkish authorities have arrested a 23-year-old LGBTQ+ youth activist, Enes Hocaogullari, over comments he made at a European human rights forum earlier this year, in which he criticised President Tayyip Erdogan’s government for democratic backsliding and repression.
Hocaogullari, who spoke in March before the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Strasbourg, denounced police violence, opposition crackdowns, and said: “The youth has had enough… We are ready to go on the streets to regain our freedoms.”
He was detained Tuesday night upon arriving from France at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. Court documents reviewed by Reuters show he is facing charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” and “inciting hatred and enmity.”
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office cited his remarks, including references to jailed opposition figures such as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the basis for the case.
The Council of Europe, which includes Turkey as a member, condemned the arrest, calling it a retaliatory act for exercising free speech.
“This new attack on a youth delegate for having legitimately expressed their views in a pluralistic public debate is scandalous and unacceptable,” said Marc Cools, President of the Congress, in a statement. He also reiterated concerns about Turkey’s democratic decline and repeated calls for an end to the prosecution of opposition voices.
Erdogan’s government has overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent in recent years, with over 500 opposition members reportedly detained in the last nine months. While the government defends the arrests as part of its anti-corruption efforts, critics argue they are politically motivated.
Turkey has not issued an official comment on the arrest but has frequently rejected Western criticism of its human rights record, accusing European bodies of bias and interference.