Some Good News
August has been a good month, seeing the release of two of the human rights defenders we featured in this newsletter.
Taner Kilic, one of the founding members of Amnesty Turkey and its Chairman, was released on bail on 16 August 2018, after 432 days in jail. Taner was arrested on 6 June 2017 and was sent to jail three days later charged with ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’ – a ridiculous claim made over and over again by the Turkish government to justify its attempt to silence human rights defenders.
On 20 August, following a royal pardon, Cambodian human rights defender Tep Vanny was released from prison having endured two years behind bars (pictured above). Tep is known for her campaigning against the forced eviction of her community from Boeung Kak Lake, Phnom Penh. A construction project on the site has seen thousands of families lose their homes.
Very sadly, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s three-day leave from prison was not extended, however, Amnesty International will continue to fight until she is permanently released. Please take action here…
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/help-get-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-home |