Vetha Aydın is a human rights defender!

Vetha Aydın is a human rights defender!

16 January 2025

Vetha Aydın Yüksel, a member of the central executive board of Human Rights Association (İHD) and former chair of its Siirt branch, was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison by Heavy Penal Court No. 1 in Siirt for allegedly being a member of an illegal organisation.

All of the allegations that led to Vetha Aydın Yüksel’s prosecution were related to her activities as a human rights defender during her presidency of the Siirt branch of the Human Rights Association. During the 15-year trial, Vetha Aydın Yüksel, was taken into custody in 2017 and imprisoned for a year before being released.

Vetha Aydın’s lawyers appealed against the sentence of 6 years and 3 months imprisonment, while the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office appealed against the court’s decision; the 9th Criminal Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeals ruled on 14 February 2024 to reverse the decision on the grounds that the sentence was too low and sent the case back to the local court.

After the reversal of the decision on appeal, in the hearing that was held today (16 January 2025) at the Heavy Penal Court No. 1 in Siirt, Yüksel was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in total, 2 times for 6 years and 3 months each, on the charge of being “a member of an illegal organisation”.

We condemn this unacceptable decision and once again call on the authorities to comply with the UN Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Human Rights Association