It was a long day in court for the Istanbul 10 on October 25, but one that ended with joy.
Ten human rights defenders — including Amnesty International Turkey director Idil Eser — appeared in court on accusations of membership in a terrorist organization, after spending nearly four months in jail. The proceedings began at 10 a.m. local time, and ended around midnight with the release of all 10 defendants, pending trial.
The defenders had been behind bars since July 5, 2017, when they had gathered for an information management and wellbeing workshop on one of Istanbul’s islands, Buyukada. Police raided the workshop, detained the participants, and confiscated their electronic equipment.
The trial of the Istanbul 10
After hearing testimony from each of the defendants, the prosecutor requested release on bail for all but one of the group. Some hours later, the judge ruled that all 10 should be released. The next hearing is expected on November 22.
Veli Acu, who works with the Human Rights Agenda Association, and Ozlem Dalkiran, who works with the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, were issued mandatory travel bans as part of their conditional release. The remaining eight defendants were released without condition, pending trial.
Amnesty International Turkey chair Taner Kilic remains in pre-trial detention due to a separate case against him. His case was heard in Izmir on October 26, the day after the trial of the Istanbul 10, and despite the previous day’s decision, the judge ruled to continue his pre-trial detention.
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