As US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Turkey to meet with senior Turkish officials in Ankara today, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, Gauri van Gulik said:
“With both the Chair and Director of Amnesty International Turkey behind bars we urge Rex Tillerson to use his face-to-face meetings to call on Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release them and the other human rights activist caught up in this cynical trawl.
“The US Department of State already described the arrest of Taner Kiliç, the chair of Amnesty International Turkey as part of an ‘alarming trend’. Now with arrest of Idil Eser, the Director of our Turkey office, and nine others detained with her, the situation has deteriorated further. It’s time to act and use all possible opportunities to demand that Idil, Taner and all human rights defenders are freed immediately and unconditionally.”
