Statement and disclaimer about the unfounded news concerning human rights defenders' meeting in Büyükada
After the detention on 5 July of eight human rights defenders and two facilitators, namely: İdil Eser (Director of the Amnesty International Turkey), İlknur Üstün (Women's Coalition), Nalan Erkem (Citizens' Assembly), Özlem Dalkıran (Citizens' Assembly), Günal Kurşun (Human Rights Agenda Association), Veli Acu (Human Rights Agenda Association), Nejat Taştan (Association for Monitoring Equal Rights), Seyhmus Özbekli (Rights Initiative), Ali Gharavi (workshop facilitator), Peter Steudtner (workshop facilitator), some media outlets reported from 5 to 7 July 2017 that a "secret" meeting was being held in Büyükada. Such news are unfounded and do not reflect the reality at all.
Human rights defenders had gathered on the island of Büyükada for a regular support and information workshop to help human rights defenders do their advocacy work. Eight participants from the human rights organizations named above and two workshop facilitators were present at the workshop. There was nothing illegal about the meeting, nor was there any criminal act that would warrant the arrest of the participants.
Some news reports alleged, referring to Gezi Park demonstrations, that mass demonstrations were being planned and established links with the "March of Justice" organized from Ankara to Istanbul. These claims, not indicating any source nor based on any substantiated information, are completely trumped up.
Moreover, contrary to what is claimed in the news, there was no evidence presented to justify the arrest of human rights defenders. Claims in the news are neither legally acceptable nor logical. It is understood that those who prepared this news tried, not to convey the truth, but to fabricate reasons for the illegal arrests to justify the pressure exerted by the Turkish government on civil society. The persons taken into custody and targeted by a smear campaign are highly respected and well-known human rights defenders. They need to be released immediately in a country where the most fundamental rules of the law operate.
We inform you that we will immediately take legal actions against persons and organizations that issued and published the trumped up claims and accusations as news.
Amnesty International Turkey
Citizens' Assembly
Human Rights Agenda Association
Women's Coalition
Rights Initiative
Association for Monitoring Equal Rights