June 20, 2018
Today, if all goes to plan, I will step through the imposing metal gates of Şakran high security prison in Turkey. And there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be.
I am in Turkey to attend tomorrow’s trial of our jailed Amnesty Turkey honorary chair, Taner Kılıç, in Istanbul. But before the hearing begins I have travelled to the seaside city of Izmir where I have been granted permission to visit Taner for the first timTaner Kilic is an esteemed human rights lawyer who has spent his career fighting for the rights of refugees and other marginalized people. But in today’s Turkey this has made him a criminal.
Taner Kılıç has been charged with “membership of the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization”, the group that the government holds responsible for the July 2016 coup attempt. The charge is based on the false allegation that Taner downloaded ByLock, a messaging application the authorities say was used by followers of Fethullah Gülen.
It has been thirteen long months since the Turkish authorities first detained Taner on baseless charges of belonging to a terrorist group. His prolonged imprisonment on remand has sparked global condemnation and highlighted just how ruthless the Turkish authorities have become in targeting real or perceived critics.
However, after more than a year the Turkish authorities have still not been able to provide any credible evidence to substantiate this allegation, or indeed to implicate Taner in any criminal wrongdoing.
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https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/06/the-human-cost-of-turkeys-crackdown/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/20/turkeyhuman-rights-work-trial
https://ahvalnews.com/taner-kilic/amnesty-chairs-absurd-trial-symbolises-turkish-law-amnesty-head
https://www.ibanet.org/Human_Rights_Institute/AttacksLegalProfessionTurkeyEvent.as
https://stockholmcf.org/amnestys-shetty-writes-on-jailed-taner-kilic-erdogans-crackdown-must-stop/
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/hrw-denounces-start-trial-turkey-amnesty-chair-ten-activists/
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/free-taner-kilic?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_content=20180621093226&utm_campaign=Human+Rights+Defenders&post_ID=1604752156 (URGENT APPEAL – PLEASE SIGN!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taner_K%C4%B1l%C4%B1%C3%A7
https://www.amerikaninsesi.com/a/cumhurbaskani-adaylarina-basin-ozgurlugu-mektubu/4447306.html (TURKCE)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taner_Kili%C3%A7 (FRANCAIS)
https://www.gazzettadiparma.it/news/italia-mondo/521946/turchia-processo-a-presidente-amnesty.html (ITALIANO)
https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/kirke-tro/danske-kristne-organisationer-chikaneres-i-tyrkiet (DANISH)
Tagged: Amnesty International, Turkey
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