Category: Free speech
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Review of Turkey’s Human Rights Record
Regarding the UN Human Rights Committee Review Session in Geneva, November 2024 The UN Human Rights Committee reviewed Turkey’s human rights record in Geneva in November 2024. Rights Defenders Initiative attended the session with a representative and had the privilege to give a speech to the Committee based on the report they prepared and submitted.…
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Exile and Resistance: The Trial and Punishment of Sergei Lukashevsky
Sergei Lukashevsky, a prominent Russian human rights advocate and director of the Sakharov Center in Moscow, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison by a Russian court in November 2024. The charges stemmed from his outspoken criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including posts and broadcasts alleging misconduct by Russia’s armed forces. These…
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Democracy on Trial: The Harsh Sentences of Hong Kong’s 45 Advocates
In a landmark case under Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law, 45 pro-democracy figures were convicted on November 19, 2024, for “conspiracy to commit subversion.” The charges stemmed from their involvement in an unofficial primary election in 2020 aimed at securing seats in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. This primary, deemed illegal under Beijing’s crackdown on…
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Lawyer Dilek Ekmekci is facing Judicial Repression in Türkiye
Dilek Ekmekci, a Turkish criminal lawyer, has been arrested in Türkiye. Since 2020, she has been working on the sexual exploitation of children in state care. In the case of assassination of Sinan Ates, former leader of the far-right party Grey Wolves (Turkish: Ulku Ocaklari), she has been investigating the involvement of the state members.…
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Ikram Nurmehmet: The Resilient Voice of Uyghur Cinema
Ikram Nurmehmet, an Uyghur filmmaker, has become a symbol of the human rights violations faced by the Uyghur community in China. His works often depict the rich culture and struggles of the Uyghur people, drawing attention to their plight amid increasing repression. However, Nurmehmet’s advocacy has put him at significant risk, as he has been…
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Yavuz Ekinci: A Writer on Trial for his Fiction Novel in Türkiye
Yavuz Ekinci, a Kurdish writer and a teacher with over 10 books, more than 5 awards for his contributions, and adaptation of his writings into theatre and cinematography is on trial in Turkey. One of his books called Ruyasi Bolunenler (Dreams Divided) a novel based on a Kurdish person’s journey of fleeing Turkey and finding…
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Freedom Activist Huda Kaya unlawfully detained, again
Last update (30/06/24): Huda Kaya, on her second hearing, has been released on the condition of sign-in once a month and travelling ban on the 25th June 2024. As this is a sign of fairer justice system; we demand the same conditions for other unlawfully detained people due to political motivations of the current ruling…
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The Turkish Julian Assange, Can Dündar is still on trial
Can Dündar, a Turkish journalist, columnist, documentarian who has worked in various TV channels and newspapers since 1991 with many pieces of books, documentaries, columns and awards. On 29th May 2015, he published a piece on a Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet about the footage showing the weapons discovered in a truck to Syrian Islamist fighters…
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Fair Trial and Human Rights in Vietnam: Struggles and Progress
Vietnam, a nation steeped in rich cultural heritage and economic growth, grapples with a complex landscape of human rights issues, particularly concerning fair trials. Despite its strides in economic development and international relations, the country faces scrutiny regarding its adherence to judicial fairness and the protection of fundamental rights. Central to the discussion is the…
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Freedom Activist Huda Kaya unlawfully detained, again
Last update: An additional indictment was presented for Huda Kaya and 4 other people on the Kobani trial (Serpil Kemalbay, Fatma Kurtulan, Garo Paylan and Pero Dundar) while the others on the trial resulted. While some have been freed, the most charges were given to Selahattin Demirtas with 42 years in which the European Court…