Human Rights Association held its 19th Ordinary General Assembly on 3-4 November 2018 in Ankara.
Akın Birdal, the former Chairperson of IHD and former Vice-President of FIDH, served as the president of the council at the two-day general assembly.
Dimitris Christopoulos, the President of International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Wadih Al-Asmar, the President of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EuroMed Rights), both of which IHD is a member, attended IHD’s general assembly and addressed the assembly offering insightful and comprehensive assessments on human rights.
Saturday Mothers and Peace Mothers, who are at the same time general assembly delegates, also attended the assembly.
Other general assembly participants included but not limited to HDP Co-Chairperson Sezai Temelli, HDP Acting Group Chairperson Ayhan Bilgen, HDP deputies Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki, Hüseyin Kaçmaz, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, CHP Vice Chairperson Gökçe Gökçen, former CHP deputy Şenal Sarıhan, Socialist Refoundation Party Co-Chairperson A. Cavit Uğur and party assembly members Cansel Aslan and Seyda Yazıcı, HDP party assembly members Gülsen Ülker and Ali Özkan, HDP Ankara Provincial Co-Chairperson Halil Yıldız, Labor’s Party Ankara Provincial Chairperson Fikret Aslan, Socialist Party of the Oppressed Socialist Women’s Assembly Speaker Beycan Taşkıran and Ankara executive Ercan Eroğlu, Saadet Party General Administrative Board member Muammer Bilgiç and Public Relations Board member Mehmet Ali Kılıç, Halkevleri Co-Chairperson Dilşat Aktaş, Turkish Medical Association Central Committee member Selma Güngör, KESK Co-Chairperson Mehmet Bozgeyik and Central Executive Board member İlhan Yiğit, Mülkiyeliler League Chairperson Dinçer Demirkent, Eğitim-Sen Financial Secretary General Ahmet Karagöz, All Pensioners Union Financial Secretary General Hüseyin Demirton, Dersimliler Association Chairperson Yaşar Kılavuz, Democratic Alawite Association Secretary General Murat Işık, Tüm-Bel-Sen Ankara Branch No. 2 Chairperson Devrim Kahraman.
Representatives from the EU Delegation to Turkey, and from the embassies of the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden attended the general assembly as well.
Local and international press were also present at the assembly.
The new members of IHD’s Central Executive Board (CEB), Disciplinary Board, and Supervisory Board were elected on the second day of the general assembly. The CEB elected Öztürk Türkdoğan and Emire Eren Keskin as co-chairpersons of the association. Pursuant to the charter, Öztürk Türkdoğan will be serving as the Chairperson, while E. Eren Keskin will serve as the Acting Chairperson. Rıdvan Konak was elected as the Treasurer General. Other posts will be assigned in the following CEB meeting.
As per the decision taken at the general assembly, the co-chairpersons will announce the Final Declaration of the General Assembly within a week.
The opening remarks at the general assembly were offered by Co-Chairpersons Öztürk Türkdoğan and E. Eren Keskin.
Click to read Mr. Al-Asmar’s speech: Wadih Al-Asmar_IHD General Assembly Speech.
Click to read Mr. Türkdoğan’s speech in English: Ozturk Turkdogan Opening Remarks at the 19th GA