A court in Ankara has acquitted Enes Enes Hocaoğulları, an LGBTI+ rights defender and Council of Europe youth delegate faced charges of "inciting the public to hatred and enmity."
The charges stammed from Hocaoğlulları's statements during the protests against the detention İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his subsequent suspension from office in March last year. The activist remained arrested for three days in September.
Representatives from the European Union (EU) Delegation and the embassies of Norway, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland monitored the hearing. Officials from Amnesty International and Go For, the İstanbul Bar Association Human Rights Center, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, and various LGBTI+ associations also attended the proceedings.
The Ankara 86th Penal Court of First Instance ruled to acquit Hocaoğulları of all charges.
Hocaoğulları said the following in their statement of defense:
Five and a half months have passed since our first hearing. In my initial defense, I stated that my detention prevented me from practicing my profession; I have returned to work. I am once again traveling abroad and participating in diplomatic events. Few people recognize me at these events, but my reputation is undeniable. Diplomats often hear that I'm from Turkey and, without knowing who I am, refer to me as "the young man arrested for his speech at the Council of Europe." In other words, the number of people who heard about the human rights violations I discussed in a speech I gave in a hall of a few hundred people has reached tens of thousands through the smear campaign, and millions through my arrest.
If a young person from this country can represent their country in international democratic forums entirely through their own efforts and merit, this should be a source of pride for all citizens of that country. But today, we are experiencing shame, not pride. Because in the 75-year history of the Council of Europe, there is only one person who has been arrested for an action related to the Council of Europe. We are talking about an institution with a total population of 745 million. The fact that the number of people arrested for participating in democratic decision-making processes in an international institution is 1, when it should be 0, and that this person is a young citizen of the Republic of Turkey, should be a source of shame for all of us. When I was first taken to Sincan Prison, I met police officers in the same corridor of the courthouse, and they said, "Sir, we thought you were a lawyer from your clothing, your demeanor, and your speech. We are VERY SORRY to learn that you are under arrest."
In this country, young people who represent the country internationally are being sent to prison.I couldn't talk about my prison experience in detail at the previous hearing. The possibility of returning there after the hearing prevented me from discussing my experiences. At this hearing, I will talk about my prison experiences, both for the record of future compensation proceedings I plan to pursue and so that it is known which of my experiences I have not shared with the public in this case where I am accused of inciting hatred and animosity.
(TY/VK)
