Turkey – Trial of Taner Kiliç (21 June 2018)

With a new hearing being held today in the trial of Taner Kiliç, chair of the Turkish branch of Amnesty International, and of other human rights activists being tried with him, France reaffirms its commitment to the right of every individual to have a fair trial and calls on Turkey to comply with its commitments on respecting rights and fundamental liberties, which NGOs such as Amnesty International are working actively to defend.

We call for the release of Mr. Kiliç, who has been held in pre-trial detention for more than a year despite a decision to release him last January, and we are following this case with particular vigilance; our consul general is attending the hearing.

Following his meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Paris on January 5, President Macron publically stated that he had “brought up the case of several NGO leaders” and reiterated that “our democracies must fully respect the rule of law.”