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The rights’ defenders in detention are not alone! İlknur, Nalan, Özlem, İdil and all rights defenders must be released -immediately!

By 17 July 2017No Comments

The rights’ defenders in detention are not alone! İlknur, Nalan, Özlem, İdil and all rights defenders must be released -immediately!

On 5 July 2017, 10 rights’ defenders, including our friends, and Women’s Coalition members, İlknur Üstün and Nalan Erkem, were detained while at a civilian society training session. Our friends, who for many years contributed to the women’s rights struggle, and worked with dedication for many changes and transformations in favour of women in Turkey, were subjected to many unlawful practices while in detention. For instance, although they were detained at 9:30, the detention order was issued at 14:30. Our friends were withheld for 24 hours before they could communicate with their families and lawyers, and no information whatsoever was provided regarding their whereabouts. Our friends, rights’ defenders, were targeted with preposterous and delusive accusations by the media and some politicians with the accusation of being “members of an armed terrorist organization”. The initial 7-day period for their detention was extended another 7 days on July 11.

The rights’ defenders in detention are not alone! İlknur, Nalan, Özlem, İdil and all rights defenders must be released -immediately!

On 5 July 2017, 10 rights’ defenders, including our friends, and Women’s Coalition members, İlknur Üstün and Nalan Erkem, were detained while at a civilian society training session. Our friends, who for many years contributed to the women’s rights struggle, and worked with dedication for many changes and transformations in favour of women in Turkey, were subjected to many unlawful practices while in detention. For instance, although they were detained at 9:30, the detention order was issued at 14:30. Our friends were withheld for 24 hours before they could communicate with their families and lawyers, and no information whatsoever was provided regarding their whereabouts. Our friends, rights’ defenders, were targeted with preposterous and delusive accusations by the media and some politicians with the accusation of being “members of an armed terrorist organization”. The initial 7-day period for their detention was extended another 7 days on July 11.

We Condemn the Attack on Rights’ Defenders!

We know that the accusations aimed at our friends and reports published in various media that denigrate the work of rights’ defenders with grave accusations are baseless and constitute lies; and perceive this as an attack upon our movement, and on all women living in this country. Like all the women’s and LGBTI+ organizations that have signed this declaration, rights’ defenders work devotedly for an equal and fair life.

İlknur Üstün is among the founders of the Women’s Coalition, an umbrella organization of 120 women’s organization in Turkey, and currently its General Coordinator. She is also a founder of the Turkey Coordination of the European Women’s Lobby, an organization with more than 200 members Europe-wide, and acts as its current coordinator. İlknur has taken part in the work of the feminist movement and many women’s organizations defending women’s rights in Turkey; and she has previously served as the President of KA.DER-Ankara. She has worked unflaggingly for women to take part in every field of life as equal citizens, including the fields of politics and local administrations, and for women to no longer face violence. İlknur is a rights defender who has made us feel women’s solidarity in the most powerful manner and before all else, is our friend. The charges she faces are without basis, and constitute an act of intimidation aimed at all women’s rights defenders.

Nalan Erkem has been a rights’ defender for many years. The work she has carried out for children’s rights includes the close tracking and defending the rights of “children driven to crime”. Nalan has dedicated her life to the prevention of torture, especially in the fields of the prevention and tracking of violence against women, and she has carried out many rights-based tracking projects. She has actively participated in the local political and participatory work of the Women’s Coalition.

Özlem Dalkıran is a rights’ defender who has carried out many research projects on the rights’ violations women face, and she is a dedicated member of the women’s movement. She is a founding member of the Citizens’ Assembly. Özlem was among the pioneers who founded the Amnesty International Turkey branch; served as president and press spokesperson for two terms, and has worked as a rights’ defender in many fields including refugee rights.

İdil Eser has worked at many rights-based organizations including Amnesty International Turkey, where she is currently the director, the Citizens’ Assembly, and Tarih Vakfı/History Foundation and Doctors without Borders, and has dedicated her life to the rights’ struggle. İdil is a rights’ defender, who with her knowledge and experience has contributed to the development of civilian society in Turkey.

İlknur Üstün, Nalan Erkem, Özlem Dalkıran and İdil Eser, who have worked hard both on the national and international level for the realization of rights and freedoms, must immediately be released along with other rights’ defenders whose freedom is being restricted, and their reputation must be restored.

 

We stand by our friends!

We, the women’s and LGBTI+ organizations who have signed below, would like to powerfully declare once again that we stand by our friends. We make a call to put an end to this unlawful and arbitrary process, which is in complete violation of the Constitution and international declarations and conventions, and for our friends to be set free. Turkey must amend this mistake in a manner that befits a state that follows the rule of law, and release our friends.

 

Signatures:

 

17+ Alevi Kadınlar / 17+ Alevi Women

78’liler Federasyonu’ndan Kadınlar

Adana Kadın Dayanışma Merkezi ve Sığınma Evi Derneği (AKDAM) / Adana Women’s Solidarity Center and Shelter 

Adana Kadın Platformu / Adana Women’s Platform 

Ankara Feminist Kolektif / Ankara Feminist Collective

Ankara Kadın Platformu / Ankara Women’s Platform 

Antakya Kadın Dayanışması

Antalya Kadın Danışma Merkezi ve Dayanışma Derneği / Antalya Women’s Solidarity Center and Shelter

Avrupa Kadın Lobisi Türkiye Koordinasyonu / European Women’s Lobby, Turkey 

Ayvalık Bağımsız Kadın İnisiyatifi / Ayvalık Independent Women’s Initiative 

Bağımsız Kadın Derneği / Independent Woman Association

Bağımsız Kadın İnisiyatifi / Independent Women’s Initiative

Bakırköy Kadın Dayanışması

Barış İçin Kadın Girişimi

Bartın Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

Bodrum Kadın Dayanışma Derneği / Bodrum Women’s Solidarity Association 

Buca Evka-1 Kadın Kültür ve Dayanışma Derneği (BEKEV) / Buca Evka-1 Women’s Culture and Solidarity 

Cinsel Şiddetle Mücadele Derneği / Association for Struggle Against Sexual Violence

Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği Çukurova Şubesi

Demir Leblebi Kadın Derneği / Demir Leblebi Women’s Associaiton

Demokratik Kadın Hareketi / Democratic Women’s Movement

Disk-Emekli-Sen Kadın Sekreterliği

Divriğili Kadınlar Derneği

Ekmek ve Gül

El Emeği Üreticileri

Emekli Kadınlar Grubu – İzmir

Engelli Kadın Derneği / Association of Women With Disabilities

Erktolia

Erzincan Katre Kadın Oluşumu

Esenyalı Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

EŞİTİZ – Eşitlik İzleme Kad
ın Grubu / Equality Watch Women’s Group

Eşitlik Platformu

Eşit Yaşam Derneği / Equal Life Association

Ev Eksenli Çalışan Kadınlar Çalışma Grubu / Home Based Working Women Study Group 

Ev Kadınları Kültür ve Dayanışma Derneği (EVKAD) / Housewives Solidarity and Development Association EVKAD 

FeminAmfi

Femin Art

Feminist Çukurova

Feminizm Derneği

Fethiye Kadın Dayanışma Grubu

Filmmor Kadın Kooperatifi/ Filmmor Women’s Cooperative

Foça Barış Kadınları

Genel-İş Sendikalı Kadınlar

Gülsuyu Gülensu Kadın Dayanışma Evi Derneği

Günebakan Kadın Derneği

Halkevci Kadınlar

Hevi LGBTİ

İlerici Kadınlar Meclisi 

İmece-Der’li Kadınlar

İmece Ev İşçileri Sendikası

İnsan Hakları Derneği Kadın Komisyonu

İRİS Eşitlik Gözlem Grubu

İstanbul İnsan Hakları Derneği Kadın Hakları Komisyonu 

İstanbul LGBTİ 

İzmir Amargi

İzmir Çiğli Kadın Emeğini Değerlendirme Dayanışma ve Kültür Evi Derneği (ÇEKEV) / Çiğli Evka 2 Women’s Culture House Association / Çekev

İzmir Kadın Dayanışma Derneği 

Jineoloji Dergisi

KADER Genel Merkezi /Association for Support of Women Candidates 

KADER Adana / Association for Support of Women Candidates Adana

KADER Ankara / Association for Support of Women Candidates Ankara

KADER İzmir / Association for Support of Women Candidates İzmir

Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu/ We Will Stop Femicides Platform

Kadın Çalışmaları Derneği

Kadın Dayanışma Vakfı / The Foundation for Women’s  Solidarity

Kadınlarla Dayanışma Vakfı (KADAV)/ Women’s Solidarity Foundation

Kadın Eğitim ve İstihdam Derneği

Kadın Emeği Çalışan Feminist Araştırmacılar Grubu (KEFA) / Feminist Researchers Studying Women’s Labor KEFA

Kadın Emeği Kolektifi

Kadın Emeği ve İstihdamı Girişimi (KEİG)

Kadın Erkek Eşitliği Derneği (KAZETE-DER)/ 

Kadına Şiddete Karşı Müslümanlar İnisiyatifi

Kadın Koalisyonu/ Women’s Coalition 

Kadın Özgürlük Meclisi (KÖM) 

Kadın Partisi/ Women’s Party

Kadın Yazarlar Derneği

Kadının İnsan Hakları – Yeni Çözümler Derneği / Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) – New Ways

KAMER Vakfı

Kampüs Cadıları / Campus Witches 

Kaos GL Derneği / KAOS GL Association 

Kapadokya Kadın Dayanışma Derneği / Kapadokya Women’s Solidarity Association

Karadeniz Kadın Dayanışma Derneği / Karadeniz Women’s Solidarity Association 

Karya Kadın Derneği / Karadeniz Women’s Solidarity Association 

KAZETE – Bağımsız Kadın Gazetesi / KAZETE Independent Women’s Newspaper 

KESK Kadın Meclisi / Confederation of Public Workers Union (KESK) Women’s Assembly 

Keskesor LGBTİ Diyarbakır Oluşumu

Kırmızı Biber Derneği / Red Pepper Association

Kırmızı Şemsiye Cinsel Sağlık ve İnsan Hakları Derneği / Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association 

Kocaeli Kadın Platformu / Kocaeli Women’s Platform 

Koza Kadın Derneği / Koza Women’s Association 

Körfez Bağımsız Kadın Dayanışması

Lambdaistanbul LGBTİ

Lezbiyen Biseksüel Feministler /Lesbian Bisexual Feminists

LGBTİ+ Barış Girişimi

Maraş Kadın Girişimciler Derneği

Mavi Göl Kadın Derneği

Mersin Kadın Platformu  

Mersin LGBT 7 Renk Derneği

Menteşe Kent Konseyi Kadın Meclisi

Mezopotamya Kadın Gazeteciler Platformu

Mezopotamya Kadın Kooperatifi

Mor Çatı Kadın Sığınağı Vakfı / Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation

Mor Dayanışma / Purple Association for Women’s Solidarity

Mor Kampüs

Mor Salkım Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

Muğla Emek Benim Kadın Derneği

Muğla Kadın Dayanışma Grubu

Muğla Sekibaşı Kadın Dayanışma 

Nor Zartonk Kadın Meclisi

Özgürlükçü Hukukçular Platformu (ÖHP) Kadın Komisyonu

Özgür Genç Kadın

Pembe Hayat LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği

Pendik Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

Sakarya LGBTİ İnisiyatifi 

Samandağ Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

SES Genel Merkezi Kadın Meclisi

Seyhan Kadın-Çocuk Dayanışma Eğitim ve Kültür Derneği

Sınır Tanımayan Kadınlar 

Sosyal Dayanışma Ağı (SODA)

Sosyal Politikalar Cinsiyet Kimliği ve Cinsel Yönelim Çalışmaları Derneği (SPoD) / Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Works Association 

Şiddetsizlik Merkezi’nden Kadınlar

TMMOB İstanbul İKK Kadın Komisyonu 

TMMOB İzmir Kadın Çalışma Grubu

Toplumsal Dayanışma İçin Psikologlar Derneği (TODAP) Kadın Komisyonu 

TTB Kadın Hekimlik ve Kadın Sağlığı Kolu / Turkish Medical Association Women Medicine and Woman and Health Branch

Tüm Kadın Lobisi Derneği (TÜKAL)

Türk Kadınlar Birliği / Turkish Women’s Union

Türkiye Kadın Dernekleri Federasyonu / Federation of Women’s Associations of Turkey

Uçan Süpürge / Flying Broom 

Üniversiteli Kadın Kolektifi

WINPEACE – Kadın Barış Girişimi

Yaşam Evi Kadın Dayanışma Derneği 

Yeni Demokrat Kadın

Yeniyol’dan Kadınlar

Yeryüzü Kadınları

Yeşil Feministler 

Yeşilpınar Kadınları Sosyal Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Derneği

Yoğurtçu Kadın Forumu 

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