Vienna, 03/02/2018
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) was supprised to learn that Taner Kilic (Taner Kılıç), the Amnesty International’s Turkey Branch Executive Board Director, was released on 31 January from the prison in Izmir, only to be re-arrested before he was even discharged from prison and taken to Aliağa police station.
Kilic was initially detained in June 2017, suspected to have involvement with a “terrorist organisation Fetullah Gulen (Fethullah Gülen)”. Soon after, he was officially charged with membership in the organisation and remained in pre-trial detention.
After eight months in prison, the Istanbul 36th Heavy Penal Court ordered for him to be released on bail. However, as he was supposed to be discharged, a prosecutor appealed the decision and Kilic was detained once more. His next hearing is scheduled for June.
“We are distraught by news of Taner Kilic´s re-arrest and are deeply concerned for his wellbeing and rights” Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General stated. “We call on authorities in Turkey to release him, along with all other journalists and human rights fighters held in prison ” Vujovic added.
SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South, East and Central Europe and its press freedom work is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.