• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: Istanbul Vigils Must be Allowed to Take Place (Turkey: UA 162.18)

September 14, 2018

On 25 August, police in Istanbul used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse people taking part in a longstanding weekly peaceful vigil. The authorities must ensure that future vigils, including the next one planned for 1 September, are allowed to take place.

On 25 August, police in Istanbul used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse people taking part in a longstanding weekly peaceful vigil. The authorities must ensure that future vigils, including the next one planned for 1 September, are allowed to take place. 1) TAKE ACTION Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
  • The Ministry of Interior to ensure that future planned vigils can go ahead without any unlawful restrictions and that vigil participants can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
  • The Ministry of Justice to conduct a prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigation into allegations of unnecessary and excessive use of force and ill-treatment committed by police officers on 25 August against vigil participants and bring all those found to be responsible to justice in proceedings that meet fair trial standards.

Contact these two officials by 10 October, 2018: Minister of Interior Mr. Süleyman Soylu İçişleri Bakanlığı Bakanlıklar Ankara, Turkey Fax: +90 312 418 1795 Salutation: Dear Minister

Ambassador Serdar Kiliç Embassy of the Republic of Turkey 2525 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008 Phone: 1 202 612 6700 OR 202 612 6701 Fax: 1 202 612 6744  Email: [email protected] Contact Form: http://washington.emb.mfa.gov.tr/Mission/Contact Twitter: @SerdarKilic9 @TurkishEmbassy Salutation: Dear Ambassador

2) LET US KNOW YOU TOOK ACTION Click here to let us know if you took action on this case! This is Urgent Action 162.18. Here’s why it is so important to report your actions: we record the actions taken on each case—letters, emails, calls and tweets—and use that information in our advocacy. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES