- In the case where human rights defender Nimet Tanrıkulu is being tried on the charge of “membership in an organization” due to the statements she made, the court gave a decision of lack of jurisdiction. The case will continue in Diyarbakır.
- The signature obligation imposed on Tanrıkulu was lifted, the abroad exit ban continued.
- The judge did not allow Tanrıkulu to be represented by four lawyers and said to the lawyers, “either one of you leave or I will choose who will leave.”
Istanbul — The sixth hearing of the case in which Nimet Tanrıkulu, one of the founders of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and someone who has carried out rights advocacy for many years, is being tried with the allegation of “membership in an organization” was seen today at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court. The hearing started approximately one hour later than the planned time due to the court’s workload.
The judge stated that a new case had been opened in Diyarbakır on the same charge and asked for her statement. Tanrıkulu said, “I do not understand why this case is insistently being carried out. I want my acquittal.”
During the hearing, the judge limited the number of defense lawyers. The judge stated that four lawyers would not be allowed to be present at the hearing and that the defense was limited to three lawyers. The lawyers stated that this practice was contrary to the right to a fair trial. Upon this, the judge said that the limitation stems from the law and said, “Either one of you leave or I will choose who will leave.” After these words, lawyer Jiyan Tosun left the courtroom.
Tanrıkulu’s lawyer Gülizar Tuncer said, “In this hearing, the principles of a fair trial are not being followed. This attitude towards lawyers also shows this.”
The court reminded that the case opened due to a statement Tanrıkulu made in Diyarbakır had previously been merged with this file. However, stating that a new case had been opened in Diyarbakır on the same charge, it ruled that the file be sent to Diyarbakır with a decision of lack of jurisdiction.
The court lifted the signature obligation imposed on Tanrıkulu and ruled that the ban on going abroad would continue. The next hearings of the case will be seen in Diyarbakır.
Background of the case
Nimet Tanrıkulu is among the Saturday Mothers/People, which is one of the longest-running rights advocacy movements in Turkey, and is one of the founding members of the Human Rights Association.
On the morning of Nov. 26, 2024, she was taken into custody after her house was raided within the scope of an investigation for which a confidentiality order had been given. She was taken to Ankara on the same day.
On Nov. 29, Tanrıkulu was arrested on the allegation of “membership in an organization” under Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code.
In the same file, 12 more people, including politicians and union members, were taken into custody; eight of them were arrested together with Tanrıkulu.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against Tanrıkulu on Dec. 12, 2024. The indictment was based on abstract elements such as Tanrıkulu’s past travels, the civil society activities she attended during the peace process period, and base station signals. The court in Ankara gave a decision of lack of jurisdiction and sent the file to Istanbul.
The Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court accepted the indictment and the first hearing of the case was seen on March 4, 2025. The court ruled for Tanrıkulu’s release with judicial control; a ban on going abroad and the condition of giving a signature two days a month were imposed. This obligation was later reduced to once a month.
