The democratically elected Greater Diyarbakir Mayor, Osman Baydemir, Turkey, has been forbidden by the Turkish authorities from going abroad. Osman Baydemir was scheduled to be a key speaker at the ‘6th International EUTCC Conference on EU Turkey and the Kurds’ to be held at the EU Parliament in Brussels February 3-4. There is no legitimate reason to believe that Mr. Baydemir would not meet any required obligations to appear in court, so forbidding him to go abroad is simply a self-defeating harassment tactic that is part of the current Turkish crackdown against elected politicians and peaceful Kurdish human rights demonstrators.The EUTCC appeals to the Turkish authorities to lift this ban against Mr. Osman Baydemir immediately and permit him to attend the up-coming EUTCC conference.
Kariane Westrheim, PhD, Chair of EUTCC
Professor Michael Gunter, EUTCC Secretary General
Hans Branscheidt, EUTCC Board of Directors
For further information
Kariane Westrheim
Menneskerettighetenes plass 1
5007 Bergen, Norway
Telephone: +47 976 42 088
