Türkiye authorities has arrested an LGBTQ youth activist over criticism he made abroad at the Council of Europe about the repression of opponents by President Tayyip Erdogan's government.
Enes Hocaogullari, 23, gave a speech in Strasbourg criticising police violence and detentions plus democratic backsliding in Türkiye, saying: "The youth has had enough ... We are ready to go on the streets to regain our freedoms."
He was detained on arrival from France at Ankara's Esenboga Airport pending trial on charges of publicly disseminating misleading information and inciting hatred and enmity. The Council of Europe said the charges against Hocaogullari were a reprisal for his words and urged his immediate release.
After a spectacular march in 2014 of more than 100,000 people in Istanbul, the Turkish authorities have banned it year after year, officially for security reasons. Turkish President Erdogan and his cabinet have become increasingly more hostile towards the LGBTQ community and their rights.
LGBTQ people in Türkiye are not protected from discrimination in employment, education, housing, health care, public accommodations, or credit.
#FreeEnesNow
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