Category Archives: Uncategorized

On May 11, hundreds of LGBTI+ students and their allies at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara defied an official, province-wide ban on LGBTI- focused events and marched in support of LGBTI+ rights. Unlike other recent LGBTI+ marches in … Continue reading →

Amnesty’s new report detailing the decline human rights in Turkey over the past several years, titled “Weathering the Storm: Defending human rights in Turkey’s climate of fear” was released today. The report highlights “the ways in which the rights to … Continue reading →

The US Department of State released its annual human rights report on Friday, and the section on Turkey paints a grim picture of the state of human rights and the treatment of human rights defenders. The report notes that “human … Continue reading →

Taner has spent 300 days in prison and, despite the fact a judge had ruled for his release, there is no end in sight. We demand justice for Taner.

On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on the case journalists Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay, who have been imprisioned since September of 2016. Altan and Alpay are accused of using coded language to support the coup attempt … Continue reading →

Today, we wish Amnesty Turkey Chair Taner Kilic dogum gununu kutlu olsun (happy birthday). On the occasion of his birthday, Taner’s wife Hatice has been so kind as to share the following reflections on Taner’s ongoing imprisonment: Today is my … Continue reading →

On January 30, 11 members of the Turkish Medical Association’s Central Council were detained after the Association released a statement calling for the immediate end to the Turkish military’s incursion into Afrin province in Syria. President Erdogan accused the 11 … Continue reading →

Yesterday, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert directly addressed the continued detention of Amnesty Turkey’s Chair Taner Kilic, and the deterioration of the rule of law in the country. The United States is deeply troubled by the February 1 rearrest by Turkish … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Taner’s family and friends celebrated a brief moment of joy when, after 8 months in detention, the court finally ruled for his release. However, that joy soon turned to mourning. Prosecutors appealed the court’s decision and Taner was immediately … Continue reading →

On 6 June 2017, our friend and colleague Taner Kılıç, a human rights lawyer and the Chair of Amnesty Turkey, was arrested. He has been in prison ever since. Taner is currently on trial, charged with “membership of an armed … Continue reading →