İdil Eser

The human rights activists who were detained by police at a meeting in July chose Büyükada for the event because the cheapest hotel they could find was there, recently released Amnesty International Turkey Director İdil Eser has said.

Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty on Sept. 9 visited the organization's Turkey director İdil Eser, who was jailed on "terrorism" charges two months ago along with seven other activists, being held in Istanbul's Silivri prison.

Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty on Sept. 6 was not permitted to visit the organization's Turkey director İdil Eser, who was jailed on "terrorism" charges two months ago.

During his visit to Turkey, Shetty applied for authorization to visit to Eser in Istanbul's Silivri Prison but he was not received at the prosecutor's office at the prison.

As you know, last month, a group of human rights activists who had gathered in Büyükada at a training intended for the protection of human rights activists, were taken into custody, and afterwards were arrested.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Schafer has said the German government is concerned about the potentially worsening jail conditions of human rights activist Peter Steudtner, who was recently transferred to Istanbul's Silivri Prison, Deutsche Welle has reported. 

It might be a surprise for some, but it is an unfortunate reality of this country. At the end of June there were 171 journalists in prison. Prominent human rights activists, among them Amnesty International Turkey director İdil Eser, have been placed behind bars on grounds of membership in a terrorist gang.

Germany's foreign minister says his country and Sweden have made a joint protest to Turkey about the jailing of two human rights activists, demanding that the men be told what exactly they are accused of.

Two human rights activists have been arrested in Istanbul a short while after being released from detention.  

Nalan Erkem and İlknur Üstün, who were previously detained and later released on condition of judicial control, were arrested on July 22. 

Germany's tough stance on fraying relations with Turkey is "understandable," not least given Ankara's detention of human rights activists including German nationals, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn said in an interview published July 22.

An Istanbul court on July 21 issued a detention warrant for four human rights activists who had previously been released on probation after having been accused of aiding a terror group.

The warrants were issued for Nalan Erkem, Şeyhmus Özbekli, Nejat Taştan and İlknur Üstün following an appeal to their release by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office.