Turkish prosecutor seeks 15-year jail sentence for rights activists
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A Turkish prosecutor has called for jail sentences of up to 15 years on terrorism charges for a group of rights activists including the local head of Amnesty International, Amnesty said.
The detention in July of the activists, who also include a German and Swedish national, deepened tensions between Ankara and European Union leaders who fear that Turkey is sliding towards greater authoritarianism under President Tayyip Erdogan.
They were held after attending a workshop on digital security on an island off Istanbul. Eight of them have been held since then, accused of being members of and aiding an "armed terrorist organization".
"This indictment is little more than a tawdry patchwork of innuendo and untruths and is itself a damning indictment of the flaws in Turkey's justice system," John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Europe Director said in a statement.
"The court must reject it in its entirety and ensure that our friends and colleagues are immediately and unconditionally released."
