BÜYÜKADA TRIAL

Amnesty International: We Demand an End to This Prolonged Saga of Injustice

Releasing a statement ahead of the final hearing of Büyükada trial, Amnesty International has said, “Any verdict other than an acquittal will be a chilling reminder that truth and justice have become strangers in Turkey.”

İstanbul

Amnesty International: We Demand an End to This Prolonged Saga of Injustice

* Photo: Amensty International

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

11 rights defenders, against whom a lawsuit was filed on charges of "aiding armed terrorist organizations" and "being members of an armed terrorist organization" due to their meeting entitled "digital security and protection of human rights defenders", will have their final hearing at the İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court tomorrow (February 19).

Releasing a written statement ahead of the hearing, Amnesty International has indicated that justice will only be served if all of the 11 activists detained in 2017 on unfounded terror charges are acquitted.

'Any verdict other than an acquittal...'

Sharing background information about the trial, the organization has reminded that "a verdict is expected this week in the case of 11 human rights defenders, including former senior members of Amnesty Turkey, who could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty on terrorism charges."

Indicating that "only acquittal of all 11 could deliver justice", Amnesty International's Europe Director Marie Struthers has stated the following:

'A politically-motivated prosecution'

"The plight of these activists shows that Turkey has become a country where defending other people's freedoms can cost you your own, and where standing up for human rights is being criminalised.

"From the moment they were arrested, it was clear this was a politically-motivated prosecution aimed at silencing independent civil society within Turkey.

'Eyes of the world will be on the courtroom'

"The significance of the verdict will reach far beyond this courtroom. The acquittal of these 11 human rights defenders should herald the beginning of the end of the crackdown on civil society and a restoration of respect for human rights in Turkey.

"This verdict is an acid test for Turkey's justice system - we demand an end to this prolonged saga of injustice now.

"The eyes of the world will be on the courtroom. Any verdict other than an acquittal will be a chilling reminder that truth and justice have become strangers in Turkey."

What happened?

On July 5, 10 rights advocates from various rights organizations were taken into custody during a training workshop with the topic "Protection and digital security of human rights advocates" in Büyükada, one of the Prince Islands in İstanbul. Nothing was heard from detained rights defenders for 30 hours.

On July 18, Idil Eser (Amnesty International Turkey Director), Özlem Dalkıran (Citizens' Assembly / formerly called Helsinki Citizens Association), Günal Kurşun (Human Rights Agenda Association), Veli Acu (Human Rights Agenda Association), Ali Garawi (citizen of Sweden / human rights trainer), and Peter Steudtner (citizen of Germany / human rights trainer) were arrested on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of the terrorist organization without being a member" (Article 220/6 of Turkish Penal Code/TCK ) and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" (Articles 314/2 and 314/3 of TCK).

On July 23, İlknur Üstün (Women's Coalition) and Nalan Erkem (Citizens' Assembly / formerly called Helsinki Citizens Association), who were released on probation with an international travel ban, were arrested upon the prosecutor’s objection to their release.

Amnesty International Turkey Executive Board Chair Taner Kılıç, who had been in pre-trial detention since June 2017 in another case, was included in the bill of indictment of Büyükada lawsuit later as a suspect.

According to the bill of indictment prepared by Public Prosecutor Can Tuncay, the rights defenders are claimed to be members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Organization (FETÖ/PDY), Kurdistan Workers' Party/Kurdistan Communities Union (PKK/KCK) and The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).

On October 25, the court ruled that Günal Kurşun, İlknur Üstün, İdil Eser, Nalan Erkem, Peter Steudtner, Özlem Dalkıran, Ali Garawi and Veli Acu be released. In addition, an international travel ban was imposed on Özlem Dalkıran and Veli Acu, and the probation order for Şeyhmus Özbekli and Nejat Taştan that was issued on July 25, was revoked.

The file of Kılıç, who stood trial in a separate case held before İzmir 16 Assize Court on charge of "financing terrorism and spying" and was later included in the indictment of Büyükada lawsuit as a suspect, was combined with the main Büyükada Case.

(HA/SD)