Human Rights Association and Human Rights Foundation demand release of Öztürk Türkdoğan

The IHD and TIHV reacted to the detention of IHD co-chair Öztürk Türkdoğan, who had been targeted by Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, and demanded his immediate release.

The Human Rights Association (IHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), issued a statement calling for the immediate release of IHD co-chair Öztürk Türkdoğan who has been taken into custody this morning following several house raids. "Our beloved co-chair and member of the Executive Board, Öztürk Türkdoğan, should be released Immediately. We have learned with great concern that Türkdoğan was detained in his house this morning, as a result of yet another operation.”

Targeted by Interior Minister Soylu

The statement adds: "Co-chair Türkdoğan was among the founders of the IHD in 1986. He has led the IHD, Turkey's most prestigious and mass human rights organisation, also internationally, since 2008. He continued working relentlessly for 13 years. This detention, which took place shortly after the speech of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu targeting the IHD in Parliament, and two weeks after the Human Rights Action Plan was shared with the public, is by no means acceptable.”

The statement continues: “We would like to remind once again that Turkey, is obliged to protect human rights defenders as provided by the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the provisions and in accordance with international human rights conventions it signed. This unlawful decision should be reverted immediately and our beloved co-chair and founding board member Öztürk Türkdoğan should be released."