Amnesty International's former Turkish president, Tanner Kilià°²ిà°•్, was found guilty by a Turkish court Friday of his involvement in a terrorist organization and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The court also convicted three other human rights activists - Gunal Kurson, Idil Esser, and Ozlem Dalciran - on charges of supporting a terrorist organization and sentencing them to one year and one month. Seven other activists, including German citizens Peter Stander and Suede Ali Gruhvi, were acquitted of the charges.
In July 2017, ten activists were detained in a police raid while participating in a digital security training workshop on the island of Bukovada from Istanbul. The 11th worker Killik was detained in the city of Izmir a month ago.
The Turkish government blamed the 2016 coup attempt and designated it as a terrorist organization, claiming that ten defendants, including a US-led clergy-led network, support terrorist organizations.
Killick has been accused of membership in Pastor Fettullah Galen's network. Allen denied the allegations of attempted rebellion.
His inquiry raised concerns about Turkey's dealings with human rights defenders and helped Turkey's relations with European countries, notably Germany.
Amnesty International condemns the regime in Turkey as a "crush on human rights and justice".
Andrew Gardner, a Turkish researcher at Amnesty International, said, "Today we are born a witness to the justice of incredible proportions". "The court's decision defied logic and highlighted this three-year trial as a politically motivated attempt to silence freedom."
The four convicts released from jail are expected to appeal the verdict. All 11 defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial.
Gardner said: "This case is a litmus test for the Turkish judicial system. Therefore, it is sad to see the criminal act of human rights as a criminal act."
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