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Turkey
Freedom of expression must be respected
Release Ethem Açıkalın
On the 17th of December 2007, Mr. Ethem Açıkalın, Chairperson of the IHD branch in Adana, participated in a press conference organised by the Front for Rights and Freedoms of Adana (Adana Haklar ve Özgürlükler Cephesi).
The conference aimed at denouncing the assassination a week before of Ms. Kevser Mızrak, member of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi - Cephesi), in Ankara. During this press conference, a document was read, denouncing extrajudicial executions and calling upon the security forces to prevent such human rights violations.
On the 23rd of January 2008, Mr. Ethem Açıkalın and 6 other persons who also participated in the press conference were arrested in Adana. They were accused of being members of an illegal organisation and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. Mr. Açıkalın is detained at the F-Type Prison in Adana. and faces from one to seven years and a half in prison. His detention seems to mainly aim at sanctioning his human rights activities.
The EMHRN demands the Turkish government to:
The EMHRN also asks the EU to address the arrest of Ethem Açıkalın with the Turkish government in the light of the Copenhagen criteria*
30-01-2008
*« Any country seeking membership of the European Union (EU) must conform to the criteria established by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993. To join the EU, a new Member State must meet three criteria, in particular, political: stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. » http://europa.eu/scadplus/glossary/accession_criteria_copenhague_en.htm
See also the appeal launched by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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