Enes Hocaoğulları’s 23 February Defence: “In the 75-year history of the Council of Europe… there is one person who has been arrested”

Enes Hocaoğulları’s 23 February Defence: “In the 75-year history of the Council of Europe… there is one person who has been arrested”

• 23/02/2026
• ÜniKuir

In their defence at the second hearing, Enes Hocaoğulları described their detention process and what they experienced in prison.

“It has been exactly five and a half months since our first hearing. In my initial defence, I stated that my detention was preventing me from carrying out my profession; I have returned to my work. I am once again travelling abroad and participating in diplomatic events. Few people at these events know me personally, but almost everyone has heard of me. Diplomats often hear that I am from Türkiye and, without knowing who I am, refer to ‘the young person who was arrested because of his speech at the Council of Europe.’ In other words, the number of people who heard about the human rights violations I mentioned in a hall of a few hundred people has, through the smear campaign, reached tens of thousands, and through my arrest, millions.”

“If a young person from this country can, entirely through their own efforts and on the basis of merit, represent their country in international democratic forums, this should be a source of pride for all citizens of that country. Yet today we feel not pride but shame. Because in the 75-year history of the Council of Europe, there is one person who has been arrested due to an activity linked to the Council of Europe. We are talking about an institution representing a total population of 745 million. While the number of people arrested for participating in democratic decision-making processes in an international institution should be zero, the fact that it is one—and that this person is a young citizen of the Republic of Türkiye—should be a source of shame for all of us.”

“In this country, young people who represent it internationally are being sent to prison.”

“At the previous hearing, I was not able to speak in detail about my prison experience, because the possibility of being sent back there after the hearing prevented me from doing so. In this hearing, I will speak about my prison experiences so that they are on record for the compensation processes I plan to pursue in the future, and so that it is known which of my experiences—ones that could provoke anger and outrage—I did not share with the public in this case where I am accused of inciting hatred and hostility.”

Enes described the physical, psychological, emotional and sexual violence he experienced during custody, detention and the period following his release.

“I am not telling these to create agitation. I have no intention of appealing to anyone’s emotions or seeking pity—including from the court.”

“But I continue with life and with the struggle for human rights. And none of these has hurt me as much as the monthly judicial control measure imposed on me.”

“At a time when we read news of people being detained and released while trying to leave the country, as someone who has experienced both the highest and the lowest forms of judicial control that can be imposed on a defendant, I request the lifting of the judicial control measure imposed on me.”

“Today I told you about the physical, psychological, emotional and sexual violence I experienced during the periods when I was taken into custody, arrested, detained and released. You are hearing these for the first time—but everyone in this courtroom is also hearing them for the first time. MY COLLEAGUES, MY FAMILY, MY MOTHER ARE IN THIS COURTROOM. MY MOTHER IS HEARING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME.”

“I am being tried today because I have struggled against these. I stand before you today to learn whether I will be driven out of the tenth village for telling the truth.”

“I request my acquittal so that these contradictions may come to an end.

Today, I came here to see whether I will be driven out of the tenth village for speaking the truth. I thank everyone who is willing for the law to function as it should.”

“Against injustice, unlawfulness, unfairness and procedural abuse; to many more victories on the path of equality and freedom!”