Council of Europe Condemns Detention of Turkish Activist Enes Hocaogullari

Ankara, Sept 5 (AP) — On Friday, a delegation from the Council of Europe expressed strong disapproval of the arrest of a Turkish human rights and LGBTQ+ activist, Enes Hocaogullari. The activist was detained following a speech critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration during a session of Europe’s principal human rights body.

Hocaogullari, who participated as one of Turkey's youth delegates in a Council of Europe meeting held in Strasbourg, France, last March, was taken into custody last month. His arrest followed his criticism of the detainment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, along with other opposition figures.

The 23-year-old activist also condemned alleged police violence during protests that ensued after Imamoglu’s arrest.

Marc Cools, who heads a delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, stated that there was no legal basis for the prosecution or detention of Hocaogullari.

“Silencing Enes equates to silencing the youth — and silencing the youth amounts to stifling democracy itself,” Cools remarked after visiting Hocaogullari in prison on Friday. He had met with Turkey's deputy justice minister and other officials in Ankara the previous day.

Hocaogullari was apprehended at Ankara's Esenboga airport in August and subsequently charged with “publicly disseminating misleading information” and “inciting hatred and enmity among the public.”

The first hearing of his trial is scheduled for September 8.

“We hope that justice will prevail, that all charges will be dropped, and that he will be immediately released,” Cools said.

Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure perceived as a key rival to Erdogan in the presidential elections, was detained in March over corruption allegations, which he vehemently refutes. Following his imprisonment, he was officially nominated as the presidential candidate for the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP.

Several other mayors and municipal employees linked with CHP have also been arrested, charged with alleged corruption. The CHP rejects these accusations.

Critics perceive these arrests as politically motivated moves against the CHP, which made substantial gains in the local elections last year. The government counters these claims, insisting that the judiciary operates independently and that the investigations target serious corruption issues.

Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of eroding democracy and restricting freedom of expression during his over two decades in power. (AP) SCY SCY

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