22 March 2017
Detained on 15 March 2017 in Diyarbakır, M. Raci Bilici, İHD’s Vice-President and Diyarbakır Branch President, was released on 21 March 2017 with judicial control measure by the judge on duty.
The concrete accusation against M. Raci Bilici was to participate in various interviews and meetings as a representative of an NGO within the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) being active in Diyarbakır.
The Diyarbakır Office of Chief Public Prosecutor describes as illegal organization the DTK being active as an NGO, and accuse those communicating with them. When it was established, especially in the peace process between the years of 2013 and 2015, the DTK undertook important roles and performed legitimate activities within the knowledge of the government/state bureaucracy. Now it is a desperate situation that this organization is described as “illegal organization”. Because retrospectively demonstrating the DTK’s activities, which was deemed legitimate in the past years, illegitimate in this period is contrary to the principle that accusations and punishments cannot be carried out retrospectively.
The Diyarbakır Prosecution Office conducted technical surveillance/wiretapping with regard to the DTK in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The Prosecution did not consider these activities as crime and file a court case. The present-day Prosecution’s retrospective accusation is a clear violation of legal security. In fact, the government set a trap for its citizen; therefore, this attitude is unacceptable.
If the rationale of the Diyarbakır Prosecution is put into force, the officials of government and state will fall under serious suspicion. This issue is announced to the government and state officials.
This is the situation in a nutshell.
The judicial control decision imposed on our friend M.Raci Bilici must be lifted and the investigation must be closed. M. Raci Bilici will resume on human rights activities.
