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Human Rights Commissioner Kofler shocked by the arrest of the Chair of Amnesty International Turkey
Bärbel Kofler, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, issued the following statement to RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (editions of 8 June 2017) on the arrest of the Chair of the human rights organisation, Amnesty International Turkey:
I am shocked by the arrest of Taner Kılıç, the Chair of Amnesty International Turkey. Amnesty International’s work has played a key role in recent years in raising public awareness of problematic developments in Turkey, particularly as regards the rule of law.
Mr Kılıç is a human rights defender and lawyer, who has worked fearlessly to have human rights upheld in Turkey. His detention raises serious questions about the rule of law.
I expect the Turkish judiciary to conclude the investigative work rapidly and with the necessary impartiality.