22 trade unionists finally released after almost six months of arbitrary detention!

According to the information received from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), on November 19 and 20, 2009, an hearing took place before the İzmir Heavy Penal Court No. 8 on the case of 31 leaders and members of KESK tried on charges of “having established a terrorist organisation”. During the trial, the rights of the defense were constantly violated, with the President of the court himself doing the interrogations, and the defense lawyers being impeded to speak to the defendants. The only evidence against them stemmed from their recorded telephone conversations and their e-mail exchanges.

However, on November 20, 2009, the court ruled in favour of the conditional release of the 22 leaders who remained detained. They will have to appear in court again on March 2, 2010 and are banned to leave the country until the end of the trial.

The Observatory welcomes the release of the 22 trade unionists and thanks all the persons, institutions and organisations who intervened in their favour, but remains concerned with the fact that all the accused remain prosecuted as well as with the obstacles to their freedom of movement.

On May 28, 2009, KESK's headquarters in Ankara, its branch offices in İzmir and Van, and the houses and workplaces of some of its members had been raided and searched by the Gendarmerie. The office of Ms. Songül Morsümbül, KESK Women Secretary, was also searched, and all official documents regarding gender issues and trade union activities as well as a laptop and 18 CDs were confiscated, as if it were criminal evidence.

On the same day, 35 trade union leaders had been arrested and detained in "F-Type" prisons. In the end, 31 had been made to stand trial on terrorism charges, of whom 22 were kept in detention. Until the submission of the indictment, on July 31, 2009, the defence lawyers had not had access to their files, their homes and workplaces were searched, and their computers confiscated.

The Observatory calls upon the Turkish authorities to put an end to all kinds of harassment - including at the judicial level - against the above-mentioned trade unionists as well as against human rights defenders in Turkey, and to act in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Article 5 of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms as well as with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Turkey.

For further information, please contact:

• OMCT: Delphine Reculeau : + 41 22 809 49 39
• FIDH: Gaël Grilhot, + 33 1 43 55 25 18