A group of United Nations experts has called on Turkey to end the use of anti-terrorism legislation to «intimidate human rights defenders» and called for the «immediate» release of Sebnem Korur Fincanci, a forensic expert in the fight against torture who was recently arrested.
Fincanci, who helped develop UN reference standards in the investigation and documentation of torture cases under the Istanbul Protocol, was arrested on October 26 for «unclear reasons» after she called for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Turkish military.
The UN experts have stressed that «Fincanci’s arrest appears to be part of a deliberate pattern of applying anti-terrorism legislation to discredit human rights defenders and organizations and disrupt their vital medical and human rights work».
«We have documented many cases in which the anti-terrorism law and other criminal clauses have been used to harass, arrest, detain and convict civil society actors in Turkey, including Fincanci, on spurious grounds,» they denounced.
In this regard, they regretted that these attacks seek to limit civil space and undermine the rule of law, while recalling that «detention pending investigations beyond the interview period is an exceptional measure that must have judicial authorization to maintain legality and proportionality».
«The ability of human rights defenders and medical workers to speak truth to power must be protected. Their role in exposing human rights violations is one of the pillars of democratic societies and, like the rights of expression and association, is protected by humanitarian law,» they argued.
Finally, they recalled that Turkey is a party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, while stressing that they have asked the Turkish authorities for «immediate interim measures» to protect «the physical and mental integrity» of Fincanci.
