Türkiye: Enes Hocaoğulları released from pre-trial detention; Nordic Pride organisers urge charges to be dropped

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The undersigned Pride organisations from across the Nordic region note that Enes Hocaoğulları, youth delegate to the Council of Europe and LGBTIQ+ human rights defender, has been released from pre-trial detention by court order but remains subject to judicial supervision and a travel ban while his case continues.

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Enes was taken into police custody in early August following his return to Ankara and subsequently charged with offences that rights groups and European institutions have condemned as an attack on freedom of expression.

While we welcome the court’s decision to free Enes from pre-trial detention, his release under judicial supervision does not remedy the fundamental injustice of the prosecution. The charges against him are politically motivated and a direct retaliation for his speech as a youth delegate describing police violence and democratic backsliding.

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Türkiye is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits discrimination and guarantees freedom of thought, expression, and belief. While the ECHR does not explicitly mention sexual orientation, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has consistently interpreted its anti-discrimination provisions as applying to sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Despite these obligations, Türkiye has repeatedly been criticized by international human rights organizations for systemic violations:
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• LGBTQ+ Rights: Authorities have maintained discriminatory policies, including degrading medical examinations imposed on gay men to exempt them from military service.
• Freedom of Speech: Human rights observers, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned Türkiye for suppressing freedom of expression, which also severely limits the ability of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to advocate for their rights and organize safely.
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We call upon the Turkish Government to:

• Ensure that all charges against Enes Hocaoğulları are dropped without delay and that he faces no further legal harassment
• End all violence, harassment, intimidation and prosecution of human rights defenders, LGBTIQ+ people and peaceful protesters
• Respect and implement its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
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We urge the relevant international bodies (the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the European Union) to:

• Continue to demand accountability and transparency in this case and press for the withdrawal of politically motivated charges
• Monitor the situation closely and raise Enes’s case with Turkish authorities at the highest possible level.
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We call on Nordic governments and diplomatic missions (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Lithiania, Latvia, and Greenland) to:

• Continue to raise the case of Enes Hocaoğulları and others arrested for defending human rights and democracy directly and repeatedly with Turkish authorities;
• Provide sustained support to human rights and civil society organisations in Türkiye, with particular attention to LGBTIQ+ groups;
• Ensure practical protective mechanisms are available and responsive: expedited Schengen visas, temporary humanitarian mobility pathways, and flexible consular assistance for human rights defenders at risk.
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We welcome that diplomats, civil society and international bodies have attended hearings and engaged on this case; international scrutiny must remain sustained until the charges are dropped and Enes’s rights are fully restored. The next hearing in Enes’s case is currently scheduled for February 23, 2026.
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We, Pride organisers from across the Nordic region, stand in solidarity with Enes and the Turkish civil society.. We will continue to amplify this case and mobilise for accountability, protection and freedom.
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Signatories:

Arctic Pride, Copenhagen Pride, Oslo Pride, Stockholm Pride, LGL / Lithuanian, Pride Riga Pride, Nuuk Pride, Jönköping Qom Ut, West Pride, Drammen Pride, Oulu Pride, Helsinki Pride, Bergen Pride / Regnbuedagene i Bergen, Grenland Pride.

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