Human Rights Association Co-Chair Türkdoğan released

Click to read the article in Turkish

Taken into custody in the morning hours yesterday (March 19), Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan was released later in the day. Announcing the release of its Co-Chair on Twitter, the İHD Central Office has said, "Taken into custody this morning, Co-Chair of our association Öztürk Türkdoğan has been released on probation."

"Our struggle for human rights will continue," the message has added.

Bu sabah gözaltına alınan derneğimiz Eş Genel Başkanı Öztürk Türkdoğan adli kontrol şartıyla serbest bırakılmıştır.
İnsan hakları mücadelemiz devam edecektir.

— İHD Genel Merkezi (@ihd_genelmerkez) March 19, 2021

Türkdoğan: Minister Soylu targeted İHD

Öztürk Türkdoğan has spoken to yeni1mecra news portal after being released. He has recalled that Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu targeted the İHD in a speech at the Parliament after Gare killings:

"I faced the charge of being a member of an illegal organization. It is really sad. No human rights defender has anything to do with illegal organizations. We were naturally expecting such a possibility after the Interior Minister's remarks about our association and after he targeted us.

"I would like to once again warn the political power holders from here: Human rights defenders shall be protected as per the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. It is not right to bring human rights defenders under judicial pressure. Turkey must fulfill its international obligations. These are against these obligations.

"The issue that I faced during the investigation and at the prosecutor's office is [about] my speeches, our statements to the press and to the public and some of our phone calls. There is nothing else. It is really hard to understand how you can charge a person with membership of an illegal armed organization in the face of such a picture.

"The judicial proceedings were completed quickly today. This should have never happened in the first place. If there are allegations against me, I could have been invited here and I would have given my statement upon invitation. But, as you see, Turkey does not quit its habits. It continues with the same treatment of the ones that it sees dissidents.

"It is not right. This needs to change. I wish that all these had never happened in the first place; but, we will keep on the human rights struggle."

CLICK - Minister Soylu targets HDP and İHD over killings in Gare

(EKN/SD)