Taner Kılıç Arrested Again

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İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court has arrested Amnesty Turkey Executive Board Chair Taner Kılıç again before 24 hours passed after the court decided to release Kılıç yesterday (January 31).

Attending the hearing via Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS), Kılıç said, “The file is not a new file. It is not possible for the court, which processed the objection, to have a grasp of the file in such a short time. No new document was included in the file. I demand that you insist on your decision”.

The prosecutor demanded the arrest of Kılıç, and the court ruled for Kılıç to be pending trial in custody.

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 earlier with an international travel ban, were arrested later 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 to the 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 Taner Kılıç, who was standing 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.

(ÇT/TK)