22/10/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
At a press conference held at the Human Rights Association (İHD), Kaos GL lawyers spoke about the situation of imprisoned Kaos GL members.
Kaos GL lawyers held a press conference at the Ankara Branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) regarding the situation of Kaos GL Association board members, human rights defenders, and journalists arrested as part of the operation launched on the night of September 12 and publicly referred to as “My Family Is Safe.” Attorney Kerem Dikmen read the press statement on behalf of Kaos GL’s lawyers.
Emphasizing that more than 40 days have passed since the operation began, yet no concrete evidence has been presented and no indictment has been prepared, the lawyers stated that pretrial detention had turned into “a de facto hostage-taking practice” and called for the immediate release of all those imprisoned.
“Journalistic activities were made the subject of criminal accusations”
The statement noted that Kaos GL Association’s office was raided in the early hours of September 13 and computers were seized. The lawyers stated that the search was neither proportionate nor aimed at gathering evidence.
The statement recalled that human rights defenders Janset Kalan, Nedime Erdoğan, Umut Derin, Selin Berghan, Burçin, and Metin, who serve on Kaos GL’s executive and supervisory boards, as well as journalist Tuğba Tekerek, have been held in Sincan Prison for more than a month as part of the investigation.
Attorney Kerem Dikmen stated that Kaos GL’s social media posts had been cited as grounds for the arrests, emphasizing that all the posts in question consisted of news articles and written content protected under freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
The statement also noted that the digital platforms hosting the content cited in the accusations had been inaccessible from Türkiye for more than a year and a half due to decisions by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) and the judiciary. This restriction was also documented in the investigation report, which indicated that law enforcement officers had accessed the platforms using a VPN.
“Punishment in advance for an alleged offence that does not warrant imprisonment”
The press statement highlighted the following findings regarding the legal proceedings and applicable legislation:
Prohibition of pretrial detention and the principle of individual criminal responsibility: The lawyers stated that the alleged offence of obscenity under Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and that pretrial detention is legally prohibited for offences carrying such a sentence. They also noted that even in aggravated cases, the sentence would not require imprisonment in a closed prison.
Furthermore, they emphasized that, under Article 32 of the Law on Associations and the principle of individual criminal responsibility, merely serving on an association’s board does not make a person the perpetrator of a crime.
Serious human rights violations: The lawyers reported that their clients had been forcibly taken for blood and urine tests without their lawyers being informed, describing these practices as violations of bodily integrity, ill-treatment, and torture. They also stated that the examination of their clients’ phones and personal photographs violated their right to privacy.
Isolation, denial of healthcare, and torture through forced naked medical examinations in prison
The statement also detailed the severe conditions faced by the lawyers’ clients at the Sincan Prison Complex, emphasizing that their requests to be held together had been rejected and that they had been kept in solitary confinement and isolation for days.
The lawyers further reported that transgender prisoners had faced delays and obstructions in accessing hormone therapy and essential healthcare services.
Three of their clients were transferred to another prison within the complex because their personal safety could not be guaranteed. At the initial prison, one client was subjected to torture through a forced naked medical examination under a physician’s supervision, while three others faced threats and insults from prison officers.
“The law has become nothing more than an instrument of violence”
Stating that judicial independence and predictability had been completely eroded and that the law had been turned into a tool of repression, Kaos GL’s lawyers concluded their statement with the following demands:
“Where the law knows no limits, no one’s freedom is guaranteed. We demand that these baseless charges be dropped immediately and that the prosecutor issue a decision not to prosecute. If this does not happen, we demand, at the very least, that an indictment be prepared without delay, that our clients be granted the right to defend themselves, and that they be released.”
Tags: human rights, media, life, lgbti
