Let’s stop the state terror in Turkey! - Let’s participate at the hearing on 13 April in Istanbul!

The representatives of different organisations who were arrested and imprisoned in September as a result of the police raids against their houses and the offices and branches of the newspapers Atilim and Dayanisma, the trade unions Limter-Is and Tekstil-Sen, EKD (Labouring Women’s Association), SGD (Socialist Youth Association), Radio Ozgur, the cultural centre BEKSAV and ESP (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed) are still kept in prison. The first hearing against the representatives will take place on 13 April in Istanbul after 6 months in prison.

The state terror in Turkey based on the new Anti-terror Law continues increasingly. The Armenian intellectual and journalist Hrant Dink has been killed; President of BEKSAV, Haci Orman has been kidnapped in the middle of the street; the raids against the offices of DTP (Party of Democratic Society) and the imprisonment of its leaders, the imprisonment of many students under different pretexts, the imprisonment of women for having participated at the 8 March demonstrations have turned into ordinary daily events. The attacks against democratic rights and freedoms have been increasing; the demonstrations and actions are being hindered by the state; the progressive, democrat and revolutionary intellectuals and writers who oppose against the state are being exposed to treats and attacks and the murderers and torturers are being awarded by the state.

Before the raids against the mentioned organisations, another group of 23 journalists, writers and dissident people who are well known for their socialist positions had been arrested in different cities and imprisoned between the dates of 8-12 September. There was a secrecy decision on the case against them. They are still kept in prison, the case is still kept secret and the date of the hearing against them has not been fixed yet.

The hearing against the people who were arrested in Istanbul at the raids against the mentioned organisations by the police and Special Forces on 21 September will take place on 13 April in Istanbul at the 9th Heavy Penal Court of Besiktas. The names and the organisations of the 24 people who will be judged here are as follows:

  • 1. Ayşe Yumli Yeter – General President of Tekstil-Sen (Textile Workers’ Union)
  • 2. Cem Dinç – General President of Limter-İş (Dockyard Workers’ Union)
  • 3. Zafer Tektaş – General Secretary of Limter-İş (Dockyard Workers’ Union)
  • 4. Çiçek Otlu – President of EKD (Labouring Women’s Association)
  • 5. Halil Dinç – News Coordinator of Radio Özgür
  • 6. Sinan Gerçek- Worker of Radio Free
  • 7. Özge Kelekçi – Correspondent of the newspaper Atılım
  • 8. Emin Orhan – Editor of the newspaper Dayanisma
  • 9. Figen Yüksekdağ – Chairwomen of ESP (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed) in Istanbul
  • 10. Yusuf Demir – Activist of ESP
  • 11. Özlem Cihan – Activist of ESP
  • 12. Hüseyin Umut Yakar – Activist of ESP
  • 13. Ali Haydar Keleş – Activist of ESP
  • 14. Güneş Şenyüz – Activist of ESP
  • 15. Selver Orman – Activist of ESP
  • 16. Özcan Dilekli – Activist of ESP
  • 17. Servinaz Göçmez – Activist of ESP
  • 18. Selyoldaş Akar – President of the 1 Mayıs Neighbourhood Association
  • 19. Abbas Duman – Activist of ESP
  • 20. Meriç Solmaz – Activist of ESP
  • 21. Kamber Saygılı – Education expert of Limter-İş (Dockyard Workers’ Union)
  • 22. Hıdır Yeşil – Activist of ESP
  • 23. Sonnur Sağlamer – Journalist from the newspaper Atılım
  • 24. Emine Güngör Öztürk – Journalist from the newspaper Atılım

    We Want Freedom Campaign calls upon you to participate at the hearing on 13 April in Istanbul and to increase the international solidarity in order to protest the state terror in Turkey and to express solidarity with the imprisoned journalists, writers, trade union leaders, women and youth activists.
    11 March 2007