Turkey Must Acquit 11 Activists Facing Trial On 'Absurd' Terror Charges - Rights Group

Turkey's farcical trial of 11 human rights defenders on bogus terrorist charges needs to end with acquittal because prosecutors have not offered any evidence at six previous hearings going back two years, Amnesty International said in a press release on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2019) Turkey's farcical trial of 11 human rights defenders on bogus terrorist charges needs to end with acquittal because prosecutors have not offered any evidence at six previous hearings going back two years, Amnesty International said in a press release on Wednesday.

"After almost two years and without a shred of credible evidence presented to substantiate the absurd charges made against them, it is now time to end this judicial farce," Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo said in the release.

The defendants included Taner Kilic, Amnesty Turkey's honorary chair, and Idil Eser, the organization's former Turkey Director, are being tried alongside nine other activists on baseless allegations of "membership of a terrorist organization," the release said.

Kilic spent more than 14 months in prison before his release on bail in August 2018. Eight of the Istanbul 10 spent almost four months each behind bars before they were bailed in October 2017, according to the release.

The activists were arrested during a Turkish government crackdown following a failed July 2016 coup, in which thousands of people have been jailed over links to moderate Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey calls a terrorist.