Amnesty International, Australia, July 5, 2017.
Tell Turkey: free Amnesty’s Idil Eser and other rights defenders.
Police have detained the second Amnesty International Turkey leader within the space of a month.
On the morning of the 5th July, police arrested eight human rights activists, including Idil Eser, and two trainers who were attending a workshop in Istanbul. For over 24 hours, they weren’t allowed to contact their families or see a lawyer; no one even knew where they were.
Idil and the others were doing nothing wrong. They are now being investigated on suspicion of "membership of an armed terrorist organisation": a ridiculous and baseless accusation.
This kind of attack on Human Rights Defenders is becoming more frequent. The Turkish government is abusing its power, deliberately making the country a dangerous place for people who speak out for human rights.
