Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today urging his government to immediately drop all charges against Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, as well as charges against author Ahmet Nesin and Erol Önderoğlu of Reporters without Borders, both of whom were arrested and detained with Dr. Fincancı. Their arrests and subsequent detention, allegedly due to their involvement in “making terrorist propaganda,” are unwarranted and in direct violation of their rights to free expression and association in accordance with international human rights.
Dr. Fincancı is a longtime PHR partner and a respected leader in the international human rights community. She was instrumental, along with PHR and other international partners, in the drafting of the Istanbul Protocol, the global standard for carrying out torture-related investigations.
PHR has also called upon the Turkish government to cease the arbitrary harassment, intimidation, and detention of health professionals throughout the country.
A copy of the full letter can be found here.