Turkey: Continued judicial harassment against Pınar Selek
Paris-Geneva-Istanbul, 16 April 2026 – The trial of Turkish and French sociologist and human rights defender Pınar Selek was postponed once again on 2 April 2026, with the Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court requiring her physical presence at the hearings and reiterating its request for her immediate detention. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and the French League of Human Rights (LDH) strongly condemn the ongoing judicial harassment targeting Pınar Selek and call on the Turkish authorities to drop all charges against her.
On 2 April 2026, the seventh hearing of the fifth trial against Pınar Selek was held. Despite four prior acquittals and the absence of any substantive evidence against her, the Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court reiterated its request for her immediate imprisonment and her physical presence at the next hearing, scheduled on 18 September 2026. This decision forms part of an ongoing pattern of judicial harassment against Ms Selek for nearly three decades.
The case dates back to 1998, when Ms Selek was arbitrarily arrested and accused, without any credible evidence, of involvement in an explosion at the Istanbul Spice Bazaar. The current proceedings stem from the same case, which has been repeatedly reopened despite four acquittals (2006, 2008, 2011 and 2014). In June 2022, the Turkish Court of Cassation overturned the last acquittal and called for a life sentence. Her fifth trial began on 31 March 2023, and has been repeatedly adjourned .
Ms Selek is currently residing in France, where she has obtained citizenship, and is the subject of an international arrest warrant accompanied by a request for extradition. However, Interpol states that no Red Notice has been issued against her.
The Observatory and the LDH recall that, under international law, particularly Articles 3 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, no individual should be extradited to a country where they face a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, or an unfair trial. Given the lack of evidence, the repeated reopening of proceedings despite four acquittals, the acts of torture and ill-treatment suffered by Ms Selek during her detention in 1998, and the broader deterioration on judicial guarantees in Turkey, these risks are particulary serious.
The Observatory and the LDH further recall that this persistent judicial harassment reflects a broader pattern of repression of critical voices in Turkey, particularly targeting human rights defenders, academics and those working on minority rights.
Therefore, the Observatory and the LDH strongly condemn the repeated calls for Ms Selek’s immediate imprisonment, which appears to be solely aimed at silencing her academic work on the repression of the Kurds and human rights activities. The signatory organisations call on the Turkish authorities to put an end to this judicial harassment and to fully comply with their international obligations regarding fair trial guarantees and the protection of human rights defenders.
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
The LDH (French Human Rights League) is an independent association committed to the defence of rights and freedoms. It acts against injustice, racism, sexism, antisemitism and discrimination, and defends freedom of expression, the right to protest, and the right to live in a healthy and sustainable environment. It advocates for the respect of individual freedoms and opposes mass surveillance and violations of privacy.
