HRW Director Williamson: Detentions A Repressive New Low for Turkey

Click to read the article in Turkish

In a statement issued today, Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) Hugh Williamson has expressed that the 10 human rights advocates, who have been detained over “terrorism” charges, must be immediately released.

“Detaining some of Turkey’s leading rights activists at a training workshop is a repressive new low for the Turkish state,” said Hugh Williamson.

“Charges are arbitrary and unfounded”

Williamson said “The Turkish government should ensure their immediate and unconditional release and provide a public explanation of why it is investigating them as members of a terrorist organization”.

“The dubious circumstances in which Turkey arrested the rights activists points to the alleged charges being arbitrary and unfounded”.

The detainees are as follows:

Nalan Erkem and Özlem Dalkıran (Helsinki Citizens Assembly), İlknur Üstün (Women's Coalition), İdil Eser (Human Rights Watch Director to Turkey) and Veli Acu (Human Rights Agenda Association), Günal Kurşun (Human Rights Agenda Association), Nejat Taştan (Association for Monitoring Equal Rights), Şeyhmuz Özbekli (Rights Initiative), Ali Garawi (human rights trainer), and Peter Steudtner (German citizen human rights trainer).

They had convened in Büyükada in İstanbul for the meeting between July 2-7. (AS/TK)