19.10.2016
President of Hakkâri Branch of IHD should be Released from Custody Immediately!
Mr. İsmail Akbulut, president of Hakkâri Branch of IHD, was taken into custody from his house late at night on 18 October 2016. According to the first information received, he was not allowed to see his lawyer; therefore, we have no information regarding the accusation.
İsmail Akbulut carried out successful mediation works for a long time, especially in the conflicting periods. He prevented many violations of rights and ensured safe return of mainly civilians and security personnel abducted.
Detaining human rights defenders in such conflicting periods is unacceptable. We demand our colleague İsmail Akbulut and the detained representatives of other NGOs to be released from custody and invite the Security Administration and Prosecution Office in Hakkâri to act in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION