SOLIDARITY with our sisters in Turkey who are detained!

July 6, 2017

[Ankara, 6 July 2017, Statement via our members in Turkey] Ten women & human rights defenders including members of the Turkish Women’s Coalition, İlknur Üstün, one of the founding members of the EWL Coordination for Turkey, and Nalan Erkem were detained yesterday (5 July 2017). UPDATE 18/07/2017: The court ruled the release of 4 right defenders with judicial control decision: Nalan, Nejat, İlknur (General coordinator of Turkish Women’s Coalition) and Şeyhmus. The court imposed ban on leaving the country and 3 times visit a week to the police station. The remaining 6 friends Günal, Özlem, İdil, Veli, Ali and Peter were remanded for trial. It is unacceptable that two of the prominent women’s rights defenders were detained at a time when attacks against women’s rights are getting prevalent at an alarming rate. We see this detention as an outright attack against women’s movement and all women in the country. Women’s rights struggle cannot be separated from human rights struggles. Both colleagues have worked dedicatedly on eliminating violence against women, for women’s access to justice and women’s political participation. We understand that their detention is a “response” to their years of relentless work on women’s rights. Their detention will neither deter them nor us from our struggle for women’s rights, because there is a long way to go in realisation of women’s rights in Turkey. It’s a long road, and we will continue with our strive for women’s rights.We are in solidarity with our colleagues and and will follow the situation closely. Statement by Women’s Coalition -Turkey //Kadın Koalisyonu www.kadinkoalisyonu.org More than 140 Turkish organsiations have signed the statement “We stand by our friends” to expresses their solidarity with the human rights’ defenders in detention and which calls for the immediate realease of İlknur, Nalan, Özlem, İdil and all rights defenders. 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 Kadın 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