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HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION OF TURKEY  

Information Sheet on Trial against Human Rights Defenders




15 January 2001

 

Dear Human Rights Defenders,

On 17 December 2000 the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (HRA) organized a meeting „respect for human rights, march with torches“ in Beyoglu-T?nel area. This meeting turned into a protest against the F-type prisons with the participation of relatives of prisoners from the TAYAD Association. Board members of the HRA negotiated with the police for about an hour and decided to return to the offices of the HRA. When the group of demonstrators had dispersed 2 busses of the anti-riot force were attacked with stones by an unknown group of people in the nearby region of Tarlabasi.

Thereupon the police raided the premises of the Istanbul branch of the HRA and detained lawyer Eren Keskin, chairwoman of the branch, and the executives and members of the association, Kiraz Bi?ici, Mukaddes Alatas, Leman Yurtsever, lawyer Oya Taman, lawyer G?lseren Yoleri, Filiz Y?cel (Karakus), Neriman Deniz, Saban Dayanan, Mehmet Ali İnci, Nimet Tanrikulu, ?mit Efe, Kivan? Sert, Elif ?amyar, lawyer Ali Durmuş, Sait G?rsoy, lawyer G?lizar Tuncer, lawyer Keles ?zt?rk, Bedri Vatansever, Recep Yilbasi, Dogan Gen?, H?seyin Karabulut, Kemal Bozkurt, Zehra Yilmaz and H?rriyet Sener, working for the Human Rights Foundation in Istanbul.

The five lawyers among the detainees were released in the early hours of 18 December, but the prosecutor in Beyoglu opened a case against the members of the HRA on charges of "conducting activities in contravention to the Law on Associations", "carrying banners of illeagl organızations" and "injuring the police officers Arif Aysun, Abdulkadir Ay and Memduh Yildirim". The indictment of 18 December 2000 demanded sentences for 4 to 12 years' imprisonment aginst the defendants according to Articles 258 and 312/1 of the Turkish Penal Code and a violation of the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.

The second hearing in this case with 25 defendants will be held on 17 January 2001 at Beyoglu Penal Court No. 7 at 2pm (Istanbul Beyoglu 7. Asliye Ceza Mahkemesi).

Expecting your sensivity on this case we would like to ask for your support to these 25 human rights defenders and hope that you share the information with your friends. Possibly we could meet at the hearing.

 

HRFT Documentation Center