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EMHRN CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF FALSELY ACCUSED TURKISH HR ACTIVISTS
Kurdish Aspect
http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc110411EM.html
Nov 4 2011
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network
Copenhagen-Brussels-The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)
condemns the arbitrary arrest of Human Rights defenders Ragib Zarakolu
and BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı, both falsely charged with "being a member of
an illegal organisation", the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK).
On 28 October, 2011, Turkish authorities raided several offices of
the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the province of Istanbul and
arrested prominent Human Right activists Ragib Zarakolu and BuÅ~_ra
Ersanlı, together with some fifty other people, mainly members and
executives of the BDP.
This raid, a vast anti-terrorist operation allegedly aimed at
dismantling the KCK -considered the urban branch of the armed Kurdistan
Worker's Party (PKK), constitutes a blatant attack on activists for
their work on human rights and their attempts to find a peaceful
solution to the Kurdish issue.
Ragip Zarakolu is an Honorary Board member of the Human Rights
Association (Ä°nsan Haklari Dernegi - Ä°HD). He is also Director of
the Belge Publishing House and Chairman of the Publishers Association
Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey, and a prominent human rights
activist who has published extensively on human rights, national
minorities, and the Armenian genocide. His arrest comes little after
receiving the Hakop Meghapart Medal of Honour Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Armenian Human Rights Association for his contribution
to Armenian history, culture, and literature in Turkey.
BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı, a member of the Constitution Committee and the
General Assembly of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), has worked
with NGOs on women's rights in the political sphere. In parallel,
Ersanli works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences and
International Relations at Marmara University.
Both were charged on 1 November, 2011 for being members of an illegal
organisation under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code by Ä°stanbul
Heavy Penal Court No. 14, despite the fact that neither of them belong
to the KCK. Zarakolu and Ersanli are currently detained in separate
prisons, and are granted access to their families and lawyers.
The EMHRN condemns the continued policy of arbitrary arrests of
human rights defenders and activists in Turkey - in particular
of IHD members, trade union members, and activists working on the
Kurdish issue.
The EMHRN recalls the detainment and arrests of dozens of human rights
defenders on alleged terrorism charges, including Muharrem Erbey,
IHD General Vice Chairperson who has been in pre-trial detainment
since 2009.
Moreover, the EMHRN calls upon the Turkish authorities to put an end
to the current policy of harassment and arbitrary arrest of human
rights defenders in an effort to undermine their work. The EMHRN asks
for the immediately release of Zarakolu and Ersanli, together with
the other activists who have been arrested on false charges.
In light of the professional background of both BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı and
Ragip Zarakolu, the EMHRN further urges the Turkish authorities to
implement international standards related to the right to freedom of
association and to freedom of expression in Turkey without delay.
Kurdish Aspect
http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc110411EM.html
Nov 4 2011
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network
Copenhagen-Brussels-The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)
condemns the arbitrary arrest of Human Rights defenders Ragib Zarakolu
and BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı, both falsely charged with "being a member of
an illegal organisation", the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK).
On 28 October, 2011, Turkish authorities raided several offices of
the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the province of Istanbul and
arrested prominent Human Right activists Ragib Zarakolu and BuÅ~_ra
Ersanlı, together with some fifty other people, mainly members and
executives of the BDP.
This raid, a vast anti-terrorist operation allegedly aimed at
dismantling the KCK -considered the urban branch of the armed Kurdistan
Worker's Party (PKK), constitutes a blatant attack on activists for
their work on human rights and their attempts to find a peaceful
solution to the Kurdish issue.
Ragip Zarakolu is an Honorary Board member of the Human Rights
Association (Ä°nsan Haklari Dernegi - Ä°HD). He is also Director of
the Belge Publishing House and Chairman of the Publishers Association
Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey, and a prominent human rights
activist who has published extensively on human rights, national
minorities, and the Armenian genocide. His arrest comes little after
receiving the Hakop Meghapart Medal of Honour Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Armenian Human Rights Association for his contribution
to Armenian history, culture, and literature in Turkey.
BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı, a member of the Constitution Committee and the
General Assembly of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), has worked
with NGOs on women's rights in the political sphere. In parallel,
Ersanli works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences and
International Relations at Marmara University.
Both were charged on 1 November, 2011 for being members of an illegal
organisation under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code by Ä°stanbul
Heavy Penal Court No. 14, despite the fact that neither of them belong
to the KCK. Zarakolu and Ersanli are currently detained in separate
prisons, and are granted access to their families and lawyers.
The EMHRN condemns the continued policy of arbitrary arrests of
human rights defenders and activists in Turkey - in particular
of IHD members, trade union members, and activists working on the
Kurdish issue.
The EMHRN recalls the detainment and arrests of dozens of human rights
defenders on alleged terrorism charges, including Muharrem Erbey,
IHD General Vice Chairperson who has been in pre-trial detainment
since 2009.
Moreover, the EMHRN calls upon the Turkish authorities to put an end
to the current policy of harassment and arbitrary arrest of human
rights defenders in an effort to undermine their work. The EMHRN asks
for the immediately release of Zarakolu and Ersanli, together with
the other activists who have been arrested on false charges.
In light of the professional background of both BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı and
Ragip Zarakolu, the EMHRN further urges the Turkish authorities to
implement international standards related to the right to freedom of
association and to freedom of expression in Turkey without delay.