22.03201627th September 2016

Upcoming Event: A Commemoration of the Life of Tahir Elçi – Where next for Freedom of Expression in Turkey? – Tues 22 March 6:30pm

By In Events

Tahir Elçi , President of the Diyarbakir Bar Association, was a fearless human rights defender and consistently principled advocate for minorities across Turkey. A victim of torture himself, Mr Elçi was instrumental in bringing cases of torture, detention and disappearances against Turkey before the domestic courts as well as the European Court of Human Rights.

On 28 November 2015, Tahir Elçi was shot dead following a press conference in Diyarbakir in which he was calling for an end to violence between the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and the authorities.

As freedom of speech comes under increasing attack in Turkey, this seminar will discuss what can be done to improve human rights in the country.