Human Rights Association Central Executive Board (İHD MYK) member and former Chair of its Siirt branch Vetha Aydın Yüksel has been detained countless times, arrested, tried, and lost her job due to her activities within the Human Rights Association in defense of rights. She is currently a reserve member of the İHD MYK and has a lawsuit filed against her at the 1st High Criminal Court of Siirt as a result of the combination of investigations opened against her in 2009, 2010, and 2017.
Vetha Aydın is a health worker born in 1975 in Siirt. She has been defining herself as a rights defender for 30 years. She became a prominent figure in the human rights movement after witnessing her father’s arrest, the funerals at the Newala Qesaba district of Siirt, and the environment of conflict in that region.
She worked as an administrator at the Human Rights Association during 2002-2008. She was also a member of the Association for Solidarity with the Families of Detainees and Convicts. Countless investigations were opened against her for her statements and activities on behalf of the Human Rights Association. Some investigations were dismissed on the decision of non-prosecution, in others she was acquitted, and for some, she was sentenced.
In 2003, İHD put up posters country-wide that expressed peace wishes in Kurdish and Turkish. The posters said “Barış kazanacak / We Aşiti Ser Bî Keve” (Peace will prevail). Only the İHD branch chairs of Siirt and Mardin were sued for these posters. One of the defendants was Vetha Aydın Yüksel. She received a year-long probation and was not allowed to enter places such as bars, cafes, and coffeehouses.
In 2005, she was verbally informed that she had to give up her struggle for rights in order to keep her occupation as a contract nurse due to the statements she gave during the time she acted as the İHD Siirt branch chair. Her contract was terminated without reason when she declined to do so. She won her reemployment lawsuit but wouldn’t be rehired based on the excuse of labor surplus.
She faced over 100 investigations as a member of the March 8th and Newroz organization committee for their events regarding the Halepçe massacre, prisons, and femicides, on the claims of “making terrorist propaganda”, “membership of an illegal organization”, “defiance of the Law on Associations”, and “defiance of the Law on Meeting and Demonstration No. 2911”.
She was detained for “being a KCK member” on March 16th, 2010. She was released pending trial at the hearing held on March 15th, 2011. This ongoing trial at the 1st High Criminal Court of Siirt has been combined with other ongoing investigations. The indictment puts forward as evidence phone call transcriptions and press statements attended by Yüksel as a human rights defender and a Human Rights Association administrator.
Vetha Aydın Yüksel was detained once again on July 13th, 2017, accused of “membership of an illegal organization” and “making terrorist propaganda”. She was released under conditions of a travel ban and a weekly signature submission. The signature submission requirement was lifted after two years.
The incriminating evidence against Yüksel in the indictment for her ongoing trial at the 1st High Criminal Court of Siirt includes phone call transcriptions and Yüksel’s as actions a human rights defender.
The final hearing was held on July 4th, 2023. The court sentenced Vetha Aydın Yüksel to imprisonment of 6 years and 3 months on the charges of “membership of an illegal organization”. The court also ruled on an international travel ban.
