Turkey: Four human rights defenders acquitted six years after their arrest
On 6 June 2023, the Istanbul 35th Heavy Criminal Court acquitted four human rights defenders of all charges at the second hearing in the retrial of the Büyükada Case, also known as the #Istanbul10. The retrial took place after the Court of Cassation’s ruling to overturn the human rights defenders’ sentences on 22 November 2022. Günal Kurşun, İdil Eser and Özlem Dalkıran were charged with “aiding an armed terrorist organisation knowingly and willingly,” after they were arrested during a raid on 5 July 2017. Taner Kılıç was charged with with “membership of an armed terrorist organisation,” following his earlier arrest on 6 June 2017.
On 22 November 2022, the Court of Cassation overturned the prison sentences in the Büyükada case. In its decision dated 17 October 2022, the Court overturned the prison sentence of 6 years and 3 months for Taner Kılıç on grounds of “inadequate investigation.” The prison sentences for Günal Kurşun, İdil Eser and Özlem Dalkıran were overturned on grounds that the verdict given was “in violation of law." The case will be sent to the Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court for retrial.
On 23 March 2021, the Constitutional Court of Turkey found the pre-trial detention of woman human rights defender Özlem Dalkiran from July to October 2017 to be unlawful, and ruled that her right to personal liberty and security, provided for under Article 19/3 of the Constitution, had been violated. The Court ruled that the woman human rights defender be granted 40,000 TL (approx. €4,300) in compensation, for non-pecuniary damages. Özlem Dalkiran is currently on trial in a case publicly known as the Büyükada case, or the Istanbul10.
On 3 July 2020, the Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court handed down its ruling in the case of eleven human rights defenders who had been on trial since 25 October 2017. The court sentenced Taner Kılıç to 6 years 3 months imprisonment for “membership of an armed terrorist organisation” while Günal Kurşun, İdil Eser and Özlem Dalkıran were sentenced to 1 year 13 months (sic) imprisonment for “aiding an armed terrorist organisation knowingly and willingly”. The organisation in question was named by the Turkish government as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY).
On 25 October 2017, the Istanbul 10 were released following their first hearing in the Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court.
Istanbul 10 released pending trial hearing
Ozlem Dalkiran is an active member of the Citizens’ Assembly (formerly known as Helsinki Citizen's Assembly), an organisation promoting peace, democracy and civil society throughout Europe. She is a long-standing and prominent human rights campaigner. Ozlem is a founding member, former head of media and former chair for two terms of Amnesty International Turkey.
