Turkey prosecutor urges conviction of Amnesty's local chief

Turkey’s state prosecutor has called for the conviction of Amnesty International’s local head, Taner Kilic, former director Idil Eser and four other human rights defenders over allegations of involvement in the failed July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ankara says the coup attempt had been masterminded by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor called for the group to be sentenced on the lesser charge of “aiding a terror group without being a member.”

He added that five other defendants, including German citizen Peter Frank Steudtner and Swedish citizen Ali Gharavi, should be acquitted.

If convicted, Kilic and the other four will be sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. The next, and presumably their final trial hearing, is set to take place on February 19, 2020.

Turkish court rules local Amnesty chairman to remain in prison

A Turkish court has reversed its decision to release Taner Kilic, the Amnesty International head in Turkey.

Amnesty has labeled the conviction request as “absurd.”

“After months in jail and years before the courts, the prosecution has failed to present any credible evidence to substantiate the absurd charges,” Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty's secretary general, said in a statement.

“The egregious injustice that our colleagues and friends have experienced for more than two years is common to hundreds of human rights defenders in Turkey who spend their days either languishing in jail or living in constant fear of prosecution,” Naidoo added.

Court in Izmir orders Turkey Amnesty chief to stay behind bars

The court in Izmir ordered on Thursday that Taner Kilic, who was detained in June, remain in detention pending trial.

Amnesty International's Europe Director, Marie Struthers, also stated that prosecution call for jail term of up to 15 years for the six human rights defenders defies logic.

“The vindictive request by the State Prosecutor for jail terms of up to 15 years ignores the evidence and defies all logic.

“The terrorist allegations made against Taner, Idil and four others have been repeatedly disproven over the course of nine previous hearings and it is clear today, as it has been from the start, that the Istanbul 10 and Taner are on trial for nothing more than their human rights work. They must be acquitted,” she said.

Back on August 16, 2018, a court in Turkey ordered the release of Kilic from prison, more than a year after Ankara detained him over terror charges.

‘Court in Turkey orders release of local Amnesty head’

Amnesty International says a Turkish court has ordered the release of the rights group’s local head, Taner Kilic, a year after detention.

“Great news: The Istanbul court has ruled for the release of Amnesty Turkey Honorary Chair Taner Kilic!!!! Expecting his release by this evening. Celebrations will start then,” Andrew Gardner, Amnesty’s senior Turkey researcher, wrote on Twitter at the time.

Detained in the western Turkish city of Izmir in June 2017, Kilic was accused of having links to Gulen, whose movement Ankara has outlawed and branded as Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Turkish police forces detain 26 over Gulen links

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces have arrested more than two dozen people on suspicion of affiliation to FETO.

Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency reported that 21 suspects were detained in the southeastern province of Adana after provincial prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 26 people. A hunt for the remaining five suspects is underway.

Elsewhere in the Black Sea province of Samsun, police detained four suspects and a convict on charges of using ByLock, an encrypted messaging app used by Gulen's supporters.

During the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.

Ankara has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country’s institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary. 

Turkey issues arrest warrants for 168 over ‘Gulen links’

Turkey orders the arrest of 168 people, including military personnel, over suspected links to opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen has denounced the “despicable putsch” and reiterated that he had no role in it.

“Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated slanders,” he said in a statement.

The 78-year-old cleric has also called on Ankara to end its “witch hunt” of his followers, a move he says is aimed at “weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to President Erdogan and his regime.”

Turkish officials have frequently called on their US counterparts to extradite Gulen, but their demands have not been taken heed of.

Turkish courts give life sentences to over 2,300 defendants over 2016 botched putsch

A total of 2,327 defendants have been handed life sentences in cases related to the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Turkey ended the nationwide state of emergency, imposed since the coup, in July last year, after seven three-month renewals. 

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. Many more, including military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations.

The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown.

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