Turkish court remands Turkey's Amnesty chairman in custody, Amnesty says

ANKARA – A Turkish court remanded Amnesty International's local board chairman in custody on Thursday, Amnesty Turkey said, hours after its local director was released by a separate court.

The group's chairman, Taner Kilic, has been in prison since June in the coastal province of Izmir on terrorism charges. Prosecutors say he downloaded ByLock, a messaging application used by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric who Turkey says was behind a failed coup last year.

In a separate case on Wednesday an Istanbul court ordered the release of eight human rights activists, including the director of the local branch of Amnesty International, pending a verdict in their trial on terrorism charges.