Activists accused of aiding terror groups on trial in Turkey

Eleven human rights activists, including the two local heads of Amnesty International, go on trial in Turkey, accused of belonging to and aiding terror groups in a case that has increased concerns over the country’s authoritarian turn under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ten of the activists, including Amnesty’s Turkey director Idil Eser, German national Peter Steudtner and Swede Ali Gharavi, were arrested while attending a digital security training workshop in July.

They are accused of plotting an uprising and charged with aiding Kurdish and left-wing militants as well as the movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for last year’s coup attempt. They face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

Amnesty’s Turkey chairman Taner Kilic, who was imprisoned separately in June, was appearing before a court in Izmir city for alleged links to Gulen. He is accused of using an encrypted mobile messaging application allegedly used by Gulen’s network.

Human rights groups say the defendants are accused of “trumped up” charges.

“There is not a shred of evidence against the 11 human rights defenders on trial today,” Andrew Gardner, Amnesty’s Turkey researcher, tells The Associated Press. “At the very least, our expectation and our hope is that they will be released from prison.”

— AP