Ahead of the third hearing of Taner Kilic on 31 January 2018, the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Turkey, Marianne Mikko (Estonia, SOC) and Nigel Evans (United Kingdom, EC), reiterated their call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Chair of Amnesty International Turkey who has been detained since June 2017.
“Taner Kilic, like any other individual, should feel safe and secure to express himself and assemble in Turkey. We urge once again the Turkish authorities to ensure that these fundamental freedoms are duly and effectively secured, and put an end to the continuous arrests and detentions of those expressing dissenting and critical opinions, which cannot be a crime in itself”, they said.
”In this context , we are deeply concerned about today’s arrest of Turkish Medical Association board members, including it chair, as well as hundreds others for criticizing Turkish military intervention in Afrin. We call on the Turkish authorities to act and react in full respect of Council of Europe standards”, the co-rapporteurs added.
