02/02/2010
Appeal against the prosecution of Muharrem Erbey
We express our strongest opposition to the arbitrary arrest and detention of human rights lawyer Mr Muharrem Erbey, General Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Association (Insan Haklari Dernegi – IHD) and Chairperson of its Diyarbakir Province Branch.
We refer to the charge against Mr Erbey issued by the Diyarbakir Special Heavy Penal Court on December 26, 2009 of “being a member of an illegal organisation” pursuant to Article 314 of the Criminal Code, with reference to Article 220/6 of the Criminal Code in the Law No. 5237. We have had the opportunity to review the record of Mr Erbey’s interrogation and official documentation objecting to the decision to arrest. The accusation that Mr Erbey is a member of the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) has been made without any proper basis. We note with grave concern that Mr Erbey has been denied access to the evidence against him and has been subject to illegal search warrants.
Questioning by the prosecution of Mr Erbey indicates that he was arrested for his legitimate human rights work conducted within the legal framework of the Human Rights Association and in furtherance of international human rights agreements. The record of interrogation indicates that the charge was made on the basis of Mr Erbey’s participation in a workshop in Diyarbakir in September 2009 to discuss constitutional amendments aimed at ensuring a greater respect of minorities' rights. Further, that Mr Erbey delivered speeches on Kurdish rights to the parliaments of Belgium, Sweden and England. The charges are also sought to be substantiated on the grounds that Mr Erbey attended the “Kurdish Film Festival” in Italy in 2009 and that he was the legal adviser of the Mayor of Diyarbakir, Mr. Osman Baydemir.
The arrest of Mr Erbey is in clear violation of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998. We urge you to ensure that human rights defenders are not subject to unfounded accusations and reprisals because of their human rights work. We call upon you to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Erbey as well as all other detained human rights defenders.
Signed by
Noam Chomsky; Tony Benn; Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP; Jean Lambert MEP; Caroline Lukas MEP; Bairbre De Brun MEP, Sinn Fein; Lord Rea; Lord Hylton; Lord Wallace; John Austin MP; Hywel WilliamsMP; Bob Russell MP; David Drew MP; Jeremy Corbyn MP; Mike Mansfield QC; Louise Christian, human rights lawyer; Dafydd Iwan, LL.D., President of Plaid Cymru, Party of Wales; Bruce Kent, Vice-President Pax Christi; Prof Bill Bowring, President of EDLH European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights; Thomas Schmidt, lawyer, Secretary General of ELDH European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights; Liz Davies, Chair Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers; Alex Wilks, lawyer; Dr Victoria Sentas, School of Law, King's College London; Frances Webber, human rights lawyer, Vice-President of Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers; Hugo Charlton, barrister; Margaret Owen, Director WPD, International Human Rights Lawyer; Nick Hildyard, policy analyst; Desmond Fernandes, genocide scholar and author; Dr Felix Padel, Anthropologist; Ara Sarafian, historian; Professor Ben Bowling, School of Law, King's College London; Dr David Whyte, School of Sociology and Social Policy, Liverpool University; Sugin Praisoody, Lawyer; Les Levidow, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) ; Jonathan Bloch, Author and LibDem Councillor; Khatchatur I. Pilikian, Prof of Music & Art; Robert Brown MSP; Marlyn Glen MSP; Ken Macintosh MSP; Elaine Smith MSP; Michael Matheson MSP; Christina McKelvie MSP; Dr Bill Wilson MSP; Cathy Peattie MSP; Richard Haley, Secretary, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities ; Stephen Smellie, UNISON Scottish Committee; Roger Tompkins, International. Lawyer (retired), Cyprus ; Prof. Dr. Raimund Rütten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Joachim Rollhauser, Attorney at Law, Athens; Maria Paradeisi Assistant Professor, Panteion University, Athens Greece; Katerina Papagika, doctor, Athens; Dimitris Stergiopoulos, student, Athens; Iosifina Iakovidou, doctorand, Athens; Dimitris Tsirkas, Athens; Stratis Bournazos, journalist, Athens; Giorgos Karatzas, Human Rights activist, Athens; Manolis Hatiris, doctorand, Athens; Internationalist magazine "Resistencias"; Kurdish Federation UK.
1 February 2010
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish question
Patrons: Lord Avebury, John Austin MP, Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Bairbre de Brún MEP Sinn Féin, Alyn Smith MEP,
Hywel Williams MP, Elfyn Llwyd MP, Julie Christie, Gareth Peirce, Noam Chomsky, Edward Albee, Mark Thomas
44 Ainger Road, London NW3 3AT Tel 020 7586 5892 Fax 020 7483 2531
e-mail: estella24@tiscali.co.uk
