Lawyer Aytaç Ünsal was released on the 213th day of his hunger strike calling for a fair trial, one week after Ebru Timtik lost her life. Ünsal’s sentence was part of a mass operation against 18 lawyers, who were sentenced to over 150 years in prison overall.
The death of Turkish human rights lawyer Ebru Timtik after a long hunger strike was entirely preventable, UN human rights experts* said today, calling on Turkey to release other human rights defenders.
“No one should have to die in pursuit of a fair trial; it is a fundamental human right,” they said. “This is an utter waste of a human life, and we are greatly dismayed at the death of this, courageous woman human rights defender, as well as the circumstances that led to her death.”
Mary Lowler, United Nations Special Rapporteur On The Situation of Human Rights Defenders published a joint communication addressed to the Turkish Government on the Büyükada trial:
Four of the eleven human rights defenders on trial were convicted and sentenced on 3 July 2020.
Paris Bar Association has announced that it gave honorary membership to Ebru Timtik, Aytaç Ünsal, a lawyer who in on a death fast as well, and Tahir Elçi, the former Diyarbakır Bar Chair who was shot dead during a press meeting in November 2015:
It is with deep emotion that the Paris Bar wishes to honor the memory of our colleagues in Turkey and Haiti, who died while they courageously carried out their mission in the service of the profession and of justice.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has rejected the application about death fasting arrested lawyer Aytaç Ünsal.
While the lawyer has been on a death fast for a fair trial for 212 days as of today (September 2), the ECtHR has rejected the application made for him with a request for an interim measure.
Despite a Constitutional Court ruling that the rights of the Academics for Peace were violated, administrative courts reject the applications for stay of execution regarding the academics' dismissal, according to a report by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV).
A group of women from the Ankara Women's Platform gathered in Kolej junction in the capital city of Ankara yesterday (August 12) and wanted to hold a statement for press against the feminicides in Turkey and the country's possible withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention.
However, the police prevented the statement.
The member organisations of Solidarity Network for Human Rights Defenders have written a letter to the United Nations (UN) special mandate holders, underlining the recent increase in attacks on LGBTI+ people in Turkey. The letter demands an urgent intervention from the UN authorities.
Women who were detained during a demonstration in support of the İstanbul Convention in İzmir have been released.
In response to the public debates in pro-government circles on whether Turkey should abandon the convention on violence against women, demonstrations were in 16 cities yesterday (August 5).