{"id":613701,"date":"2022-04-20T06:29:25","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T06:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/humanrightsdefenders.blog\/?p=22938"},"modified":"2022-04-20T06:29:25","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T06:29:25","slug":"ozturk-turkdogan-in-turkey-acquitted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/04\/20\/ozturk-turkdogan-in-turkey-acquitted\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00d6zt\u00fcrk T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan in Turkey acquitted!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A Turkish court has acquitted \u00d6zt\u00fcrk T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan, co-chair of Turkey\u2019s oldest human rights group, the Human Rights Association (\u0130HD), of charges of membership in a terrorist organization. The ruling was issued by the Ankara 19th<\/sup> High Criminal Court on Tuesday 19 April 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan was briefly detained in March 2021 after a police raid on his home in Ankara. He was questioned by the police without a lawyer present and released under judicial supervision. T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan was prohibited from travelling abroad and had to check in at a police station twice a month. See also: https:\/\/humanrightsdefenders.blog\/2022\/02\/23\/prosecution-of-human-rights-defender-ozturk-turkdogan-in-turkey-should-be-dropped\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan said he was targeted for urging authorities to carry out an investigation into the killing of 13 civilians on February 15, 2021 during a military operation in northern Iraq\u2019s Gare province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Turkish state loves to accuse all citizens, human rights defenders, politicians, activists, union members and students of membership in a terrorist organization. There\u2019s probably no other country in the world that accuses so many of its own citizens<\/em>,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Announcing the court verdict in a statement, the \u0130HD said, “We will not give up on defending human rights.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his defense in the first hearing of the case at the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court, T\u00fcrkdo\u011fan had said<\/a> the lawsuits were intended to intimidate rights advocates: “I know the lawsuit against me was filed by the ministry of Interior. I am a rights advocate. My legal activities were cited in the indictment<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other two lawsuits were filed for “insulting the Turkish nation” and “insulting Minister of Interior S\u00fcleyman Soylu.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/bianet.org\/english\/law\/260706-human-rights-association-co-chair-ozturk-turkdogan-acquitted<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prominent Turkish human rights activist acquitted of terrorism charges<\/a><\/blockquote>