Lawyers for Turkish LGBT Association Kaos GL Say No Indictment Has Been Prepared
Lawyers for Turkish LGBT association Kaos GL said in Ankara on October 22, 2026, that no indictment had yet been prepared in the case involving detained association representatives, human rights defenders and journalist Tuğba Tekerek. The press conference took place at the Ankara branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD); ÜniKuir published the statement.
Turkish lawyer Kerem Dikmen read the statement. He noted that more than 40 days had passed since the “My Family Is Safe” operation (Ailem Güvende) began on September 12. The defence says journalistic material and Kaos GL’s social media posts were used to justify detention, while questioning also covered the association’s funding sources, which its lawyers describe as lawful.
The defence demanded their clients’ release and an end to the investigation. If prosecutors do not close the case, the lawyers want an indictment prepared immediately so the detainees can defend themselves. They also said that serving on an association’s governing or supervisory bodies does not in itself establish individual criminal responsibility.
According to Bianet, the lawyers complained of their clients’ isolation at the Sincan prison complex and difficulties accessing healthcare and hormone therapy for transgender prisoners. These accounts were presented as the defence’s allegations.
Medyascope previously reported that an Ankara court justified remand on suspicions of violating the Law on Associations, facilitating the dissemination of obscene material and making it accessible to children. The lawyers dispute those grounds. The cited sources publish no new response from prosecutors to the October 22 statement.
Uránia previously reported Turkish MP Sevilay Çelenk’s visit to detained LGBT movement participants at Sincan. Those she met on October 17–18 included Kaos GL representatives and Tuğba Tekerek.
