Court Decides to Release 8 Rights Advocates in Pre-Trial Detention

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The rights defenders who were detained over a training workshop on July 5, 2017 in Büyükada and nine of whom are in detention on remand, have stood before the judge for the first time after 113 days in Çağlayan Courthouse today (October 25).

Hearing the defendants Dalkıran, Steudtner, Üstün, Eser, Garawi, Kurşun, Erkem, Acu's statements of defence, the court has ruled that all eight defendants in pre-trial detention be released pending trial.

The prosecutor of the trial Selahattin Kanbur had demanded in the hearing today, that seven of the nine defendants in pre-trial detention, namely Günal Kurşun, İlknur Üstün, İdil Eser, Nalan Erkem, Peter Steudtner, Özlem Dalkıran and Ali Garawi be released and Veli Acu remain in jail pending trial.

The prosecutor also demanded that the lawsuit brought against Amnesty International Turkey Chair Taner Kılıç before İzmir 16th Assize Court, charging Kılıç with "financing terrorism and spying", be combined with Büyükada lawsuit.

Kılıç, who was added to the indictment of Büyükada lawsuit later as a suspect" is being charged with "Being a member of an armed terrorist organization" and the other rights are being charged with "committing crimes on behalf of the terrorist organization without being a member" (Article 220/6 of Turkish Penal Code) and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" (Articles 314/2 and 314/3 of Turkish Penal Code).

The indictment claims that the rights defenders are members of 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).

Objections to the bill of indictment

The rights advocates and their attorneys objected to the statement in the bill of indictment, that the rights defenders refused to give the police the passwords of their cell phones and computers.

Upon being asked by the board of judges, whether they wanted to express remorse, teh rights advocates said that there was no crime in question and that they therefore felt no remorse.

Özlem Dalkıran: "Rights defenders do not hide information"

Rights advocate Özlem Dalkıran was the first defendant to make statement of defence.

Addressing the statment in the indictment, that the defendants were "concerned that the police got in hold of the documents in their cell phones and computers", Dalkıran said:

"Rights defenders do not hide information. On the contrary, our mission is to disclose information and share it with the public.

Peter Steudtner: My statement was taken in police station in a threatening manner

Peter Steudtner in his statement of defence explained who he was a a trainer and facilitator, which sorts of associations he worked with and responded to the accusations against him.

Stating that he had only heard the names of FETÖ and PKK among the organizations, which the defendants were claimed to be members of, in the indictment and said:

"I don't understand the sources of the evidence and how my profession has been been linked with terrorist organizations".

İlknur Üstün: I stand by the fight I put up for rights

İlknur Üstün from the Women's Coalition explained the works she had carried out in the field of women's rights and drew attention to how important it was to keep data regarding these practices, safe.

İdil Eser: I have nothing to regret, did what I was obliged to do

Talking about the history and objectives of Amnesty International, İdil Eser stated that the statements that were subjected to accusations in the indictment, were legal statements of the association's international secretary and noted

"These are statements some of which have been read by different Ministries and have even received a response by some of them".

Ali Garawi: They did not ask for my password

Ali Garawii- making his statement of defence pointed out that a certain map, which was the base of accusations against him, was only a language map and added with regard to the claims that the defendants tried to hide information from the police:

"On the contrary to what the indictment says, they did not ask me about my passwordi the police already had my cell phone and were already looking into it".

Günal Kurşun: Prosecutor not only collected but also obfuscated evidence 

Making his statement of defence, Günal Kurşun said:

"The same person cannot be charged in two separate trials on the ground of the same action. And this is not a new rule but a 2,000 year-old one. I do not believe that the prosecutor does not know about this rule. In the indictment, the prosecutor has stated that there is a trial which I am subjected to in Adana. According to Article 223 of the Turkish Penal Code, [...] if there is an ongoing case, a second criminal proceedings should be rejected".

Nalan Erkem: Rights defenders make no terrorists

Nalan Erkem making her statement of defence, explained that the meeting in Büyükada was not a secret meeting and reminded that also bianet's "From the Classroom to the Newsroom" programme was also organized in Büyükada in the same days and that they had attended bianet's dinner.

Veli Acu: They created evidence when they could find no crime regarding the meeting

Responding to the accusations in the bill of indictment, Acu said:

"None of the organizations in the indictment have been closed not investigated. All the material we used in the meeting has been collected as evidence yet none of them is mentioned in the indictment since none of these constitute a crime".

(ÇT/DG)