10 human rights defenders, gathered on İstanbul's Büyükada island for a regular workshop and arrested in the morning of July 5, 2017 by security forces acting on a tip-off and raiding the hotel where the event was held, were brought before the On-Duty Criminal Court of Peace this morning (18 July). The Court decided to place under detention on remand the following persons: Veli Acu and Günal Kurşun from the Human Rights Agenda Association, İdil Eser, Director of Amnesty International Turkey, Özlem Dalkıran from Citizens' Assembly as well as Ali Gharavi and Peter Steudtner, facilitators of the working meeting.  Nalan Erkem, İlknur Üstün, Nejat Taştan and Şeyhmus Özbekli were released subject to judicial control. 

We protest against the usurpation of the freedom of our friends, as a result of such an investigation based on fabricated claims and unfounded statements of an anonymous witness. The On-Duty Criminal Court of Peace arresting our six friends because of a working meeting, which could not be considered a crime under any circumstances, including the state of emergency, is unacceptable. Four of our friends, on the other hand, were released on condition of judicial control and they were prohibited from going abroad. In other words, they have regained a "partial" freedom. 

We remind once again that defending human rights, as provided for in the Constitution and Article 90 of the Constitution, is a fundamental right guaranteed also by international conventions and declarations. 

We, members of the Citizens' Assembly, announce that we will remain in solidarity with our arrested friends until they get back their freedom. We declare that we will use all legal means to ensure the release of our friends.

It is not a crime to defend human rights. Do not touch human rights defenders!

Citizens' Assembly