Human Rights are under threat even more than before but sometimes there are some good news: Our Europe country coordinator team has been enriched by our newest member : little Petar, born just before Christmas to our wonderful Western Europe coordinator Jovana.

There is also some good news from Turkiye : three of the GEZI defendants have been acquitted. And in Greece court proceedings into the action of the Greek coastguard regarding the deaths of over 600 people are slowly progressing. Campaigning works, but Greek civil society who are pushing for justice for the victims of the Pylos shipwreck need our solidarity. I will be back with proposed actions soon. A new report into surveillance and suppression of civil society in Serbia makes disturbing reading, and I am in conversation with the International Secretariat on campaigning guidelines.

And most importantly, please take Urgent Action  for Nimet Tanrikulu who has been imprisoned on baseless accusations.

Turkiye

by  Chris Ramsey

Urgent Action      Nimet Tanrıkulu

There is a revised Urgent Action, calling for the release of human rights defender Nimet Tanrıkulu.

The update is because Nimet’s prosecution was transferred from Ankara to Istanbul although she is still being held in Ankara’s Sincan prison. The first hearing in her trial will take place on 4 March 2025 at the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 24.

On 26 November, prominent human rights defender Nimet Tanrıkulu was detained from her home by the police in Istanbul. After a short period of detention at a police station, she was transferred to the anti-terrorism branch of the Ankara Security Directorate. Following four days in police custody, Nimet Tanrıkulu was remanded in pre-trial detention on 30 November, accused of “membership to a terrorist organization”.

She is still held at Ankara’s Sincan women’s prison. Amnesty International believes that her detention on what appear to be baseless accusations is arbitrary, and she should be released immediately.

Gezi Prisoners of Conscience

at last some good news!

The  acquittal of three Gezi defendants on 11 February brings one part of a chronicle of injustice to an end 

Three defendants in the Gezi Park trial have been acquitted after a retrial following the Court of Cassation’s decision to overturn their previous 18-year prison sentences. Mücella Yapıcı, Ali Hakan Altınay, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi (who was not part of the original Gezi 7) were acquitted today by the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court due to lack of evidence.

The defendants were not present in court, but their attorneys attended the hearing. Necla Saadet Durdu, representing the General Directorate of Security, was also present.

In his final opinion, the prosecutor stated that there was no clear, concrete, or material evidence proving the defendants committed the alleged crime, and therefore recommended acquittal. The defence lawyers supported this assessment and asked for a ruling in line with the prosecutor’s opinion.

The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Yapıcı, Altınay, and Ekmekçi on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or obstruct its functions.” The panel concluded that the defendants should be acquitted on the grounds that no definitive and legally admissible evidence was found.

Reacting to the acquittal at the retrial of Gezi PoCs Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay (and Yiğit Ekmekçi), whose initial convictions and 18-year prison sentences in connection with mass protests in 2013 were overturned by the Court of Cassation in September 2023, Milena Buyum, Amnesty International’s Senior Türkiye Campaigner, said:

“Today’s decision brings an end to the politically motivated prosecution of Mücella Yapıcı, Hakan Altınay and Yiğit Ekmekçi, and the chronicle of injustice they have suffered. Over the course of more than seven years, prosecuting authorities repeatedly failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the baseless charges laid against them. They should never have been subjected to any charges, let alone spent any time in prison.

“Their unfair prosecution – and that of the other five Gezi Park defendants – not only resulted in grave violations of their rights, but also became a shameful example of the way in which Türkiye’s justice system is used as a tool of political repression.

“Their acquittals must now be followed by the immediate release of Osman Kavala and the other four Gezi prisoners of conscience who remain behind bars.”

Speaking to Amnesty International, Mücella Yapıcı said: “It is very hard to feel happy when all the others are still behind bars. Why are they still imprisoned when they are as innocent as us? I want to thank everyone who stood by us and supported us during this thoroughly unfair prosecution.” [Read more…]

Dear Amnesty Activists and supporters
Please take urgent action to stop Eritrean asylum-seekers being deported to Eritrea, where they would face torture and imprisonment. Here is a sample letter. Please also look at our Write for Rights case from Türkiye. After the last elections in Poland the government changed, but there are no improvements for refugees stuck in the swampy forests between Poland and Belarus, violently pushed back from both sides. Just today, Donald Tusk, the new Prime Minister of Poland announced that he wants to suspend the right to asylum, a grave violation of European and international human rights law.  More details and reports below.

2 dates for your diaries : the Amplify Human Rights Festival on 7^th December where we are contributing a workshop on Fortress Europe, and the screening of the  Film “Green Border” at the Human Rights Action Centre on 16^th January.

Türkiye

Urgent Action:- Eritrean asylum seekers in Türkiye at imminent risk of forcible return home

by Chris Ramsey
Hundreds of Eritrean nationals are at imminent risk of forcible return from Türkiye to Eritrea where they would face a real risk of torture, arbitrary detention and other serious human rights violations. Reports indicate that around 300 Eritreans recently detained in Türkiye without adequate access to communication or legal support have been deported to Eritrea. Amnesty says the authorities must immediately halt any plans to forcibly return Eritrean nationals from Türkiye and grant them access to asylum procedures, in line with international law.
Türkiye is party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. However, Türkiye retains a geographic reservation to its ratification of the Convention, so that only citizens from Council of Europe member states are allowed to apply for refugee status. People who do not qualify for refugee status in Türkiye, can request conditional refugee status or subsidiary protection under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection of 2013. The conditional refugee status was created for people originating from “non-European” states and provides more restrictive rights than the ones granted to refugee status holders.

Amnesty International has found that the Eritrean authorities regard the act of applying for asylum abroad as evidence of treason, and a reason to detain anyone forcibly returned to Eritrea. Appalling detention conditions in Eritrea amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has noted that “Eritreans who are forcibly returned may, according to several reports, face arrest without charge, detention, ill-treatment, torture sometimes death at the hands of the authorities. They are reportedly held incommunicado, in over-crowded and unhygienic conditions, with little access to medical care, sometimes for extended periods of time” and that “For someEritreans, being outside the country may be sufficient cause on return to be subjected to scrutiny, reprisals and harsh treatment. Individuals may be suspected of having sought asylum, participating in diaspora-based opposition meetings or otherwise posing a (real or perceived) threat to the Government, particularly where they have exited the country illegally.”

Furthermore, in 2015, the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea found that ‘’with a few exceptions, those who have been forced to return to the country have been arrested, detained and subjected to ill- treatment and torture.’’ According to a 2016 Amnesty International report, deserters are likely to face prolonged arbitrary detention, inhumane detention conditions and torture and other-ill treatment. National service is compulsory for all men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 in Eritrea, with additional mandatory reserve duties up to age 50. There is no limit on length of service. Initially 18 months long, it generally includes six months’ military service followed by 12 months’ deployment in military or government service. However, this is frequently extended indefinitely.

National service often involves forced or involuntary labour in state projects. Conscripts perform construction labour on government projects such as road building, work in the civil service or work for companies owned and operated by the military or ruling party elites. Conscripts are paid minimal salaries that do not meet the basic needs of their families. Much of the adult population of Eritrea is currently engaged in mandatory national service. There is no exemption from military service for conscientious objectors.

ACTION:

Use this model letter to the Head of Migration Management in Türkiye requesting that the country fulfils its international obligations with respect to refugees and desists from deporting people back to Eritrea. [Read more…]

Dear Amnesty activists and supporters. The Olympic games should be a time of celebrating diversity, but the French ban prohibiting Muslim women from wearing sports hijabs is excluding French athletes from taking part. Please join the on-line campaign to end discrimination in France. For any inquiries about France please contact our coordinator for Western Europe Jovana Bosnjak Jovana.Bosnjak@amnesty.org.uk

We also have a postcard action supporting the Saturday mothers in Turkiye. Please print the attached postcard templates and send cards to the Interior Ministry of Turkiye. For further questions please contact Chris Ramsey country coordinator for Turkiye  chris.ramsey@amnesty.org.uk

How we respond to refugees fleeing wars and oppression defines us as a society and civilization. On 14^th of June vigils and demonstrations were held in many European countries including Greece, Denmark, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Turkey, UK and others to call for justice for the 600 people who drowned when the “Adriana”, a clapped out fishing boat packed with refugees including many children, sank near Pylos Greece. Investigations by Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the BBC point to the culpability of the Greek authorities particularly the Hellenic coastguard for this horrendous and preventable loss of life.  Just this week Amnesty released a report investigating the suffering of people detained in the EU-funded Closed Controlled Access Centres in Samos Greece. And in Finland a new law on migration is a green light for violence and pushbacks at the border. For more information please contact Ulrike Schmidt Balkan and regional team coordinator Ulrike.schmidt@amnesty.org.uk

In Poland refugees are still dying in the forests pushed back and forth by Belarussian and Polish border guards. Refugees from Afghanistan, who have often helped Western troops and are persecuted by the Taliban are not receiving the welcome that Ukrainian refugees rightly receive. Used by Belarus and forcibly returned by Polish border guards refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other oppressive and war-torn countries are forced back and forth over the border. Many, including children have died in the swampy and unforgiving forests. Our new coordinator for Central Europe Lucja Jastrzebska is giving us overview and updates. For further information please contact lucja.jastrzebska@amnesty.org.uk

Finally Amnesty has released a detailed report called “Under protected and over restricted“ about the right to protest in 21 countries. Chris Ramsey, our coordinator for Turkey  has worked through the 209 pages of the report for us and produced a more digestible summary for us. For further inquiries please contact chris.ramsey@amnesty.org.uk.

Malta

El Hiblu update :

Apologies to all the groups who expressed an interest in adopting the El Hiblu 3. The Action circular on the case has still not been issued, and I finally received an answer from the research team: The courts in Malta are currently hearing preliminary issues, following the attorney generals decision to indict the El Hiblu 3. The first preliminary issue is that they are examining whether Malta has jurisdiction over the case. At the moment all we can do is wait. I will keep you updated as soon as I receive more information. In the mean-time all we can do is continue to write solidarity messages. [Read more…]