Erin Keskin Turkey

An outspoken defender of human rights for over 30 years, lawyer Eren Keskin has been subjected to death threats, physical attacks and sustained judicial harassment. She has been hauled before the courts more than a hundred times, and convicted on numerous occasions, largely because of her work defending Kurdish rights. In 1995 she served six months in prison for referring to ‘Kurdistan’ in an article, and has also received fines and suspended sentences.  Eren’s most recent conviction is for ‘Denigrating the Turkish nation’. It relates to a speech accusing the authorities of ‘slaughtering a 12-year-old’ after a father and son were killed in an army operation. In December 2014 she was sentenced to a year in prison, later reduced to  10 months. After July’s attempted coup – which Amnesty condemns – Eren was accused of offences linked to her work with Kurdish newspaper Özgür

SEND AN APPEAL LETTER: Tell Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ that Eren must not be jailed for her human rights work, and to repeal laws that curtail freedom of expression.

Write to: Bekir Bozdağ Ministry of Justice  Adalet Bakanlığı 06659 Ankara Turkey
Fax:  +90 312 417 71 13  +90 312 419 33 70 Email:  ozelkalem@adalet.gov.tr Twitter:  @bybekirbozdag Salutation:  Dear Minister In your letter: Tell the minister that Eren must not be jailed for her human rights work. Let him know that if convicted under Article 301, Eren would be a prisoner of conscience. Emphasise that Amnesty is an impartial movement campaigning against human rights violations around the world. Condemn July’s coup and call for those responsible to be brought to justice under the rule of law.Gündem, including ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’. If convicted, she could receive a life sentence.

SEND A SOLIDARITY CARD TO: Eren Keskin c/o Turkey Team Amnesty International 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW
 Language: Turkish Salutation: Sevgili Eren Keskin (Dear Eren Keskin) Suggested message: İfade özgürlüğünüzün defalarca adil olmayan yargılamalarla ihlal edilmesini kınıyor, size olan desteğimi belirtmek istiyorum. Sonsuz desteğimle (I/we wish to express our solidarity with you in defence of your right to freedom of expression, which has been violated in numerous and repeated prosecutions. Yours in solidarity.) Twitter: @KeskinEren1