Lawyer and human rights defender Şüheda Ronahi Çiftçi has been imprisoned in the southern province of Antalya. The prosecution accused her of being a member of “a terrorist organization” because of her professional and human rights activities.
Lawyer and head of the Antalya branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) and the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Şüheda Ronahi Çiftçi was taken into custody on 20 February. The Antalya General Prosecutor's Office ordered her incarceration for “membership in a terrorist organization”.
After the arrest decision, Çiftçi's colleagues made a statement to the press in front of the Antalya courthouse. Deniz Yıldırım, co-chair of the IHD Antalya Branch, said that Çiftçi was arrested due to her professional activities and emphasized that the investigation was entirely aimed at criminalizing her professional activities and her work for human rights and to prevent her from fighting for human rights. Stating that what happened was not legal, Yıldırım said they would follow up the case and demanded his immediate release. Çiftçi’s other colleagues reacted to the arrest warrant and stressed that they would not give in.
