Kaos GL lawyers: Detention exceeding 40 days continues without indictment

Lawyers representing Kaos GL Association executives, LGBTQ+ rights advocates, and journalists held a press conference today (October 22) at the Human Rights Association Ankara branch to criticize the detention conditions.

Lawyer Kerem Dikmen stated that more than 40 days have passed since the "Family Safe" operation launched on September 12, yet no indictment has been prepared and no concrete evidence has been presented. Dikmen argued that the detentions have ceased to be a legal protective measure and have become punitive in nature.

During a raid on the association office in Ankara on September 13, computers were seized and board of directors members were detained. Janset Kalan, Nedime Erdoğan, Umut Derin, Selin Berghan, Burçin, Metin, and journalist Tuğba Tekerek have been held at Sincan Prison for more than a month.

According to the lawyers, the Instagram posts that form the basis of the charges are located on platforms that have been inaccessible from Turkey for more than a year and a half. Law enforcement is believed to have accessed the content using VPNs.

The lawyers emphasized that the maximum penalty for the obscenity offense under Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code is two years imprisonment, and that this threshold means detention is prohibited for this charge. The lawyers also drew attention to Article 32 of the Associations Law and the principle of personal criminal responsibility, noting that serving on a board of directors does not in itself mean being the perpetrator of a crime.

The statement also alleged that the detainees have been subjected to solitary confinement, denial of access to health services, and ill-treatment at Sincan Prison. The lawyers characterized the current situation as "de facto hostage-taking under the guise of detention."