Senior EU figures have criticised Turkey’s government for “undermining the rule of law” over the re-arrest of the head of the Turkish chapter of Amnesty International and the recent detention of leading members of the Turkish Medical Association.
In a statement on Friday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner Johannes Hahn said:
“The reversal of the court decision to release Amnesty International Turkey Chair Taner Kilic and the detention of the members of the Executive Committee of the Turkish Medical Association are the latest examples of the worrying developments undermining the rule of law and independence and impartiality of the judiciary in Turkey.”
Reports suggest that in addition to the ongoing detention of dozens of journalists and NGO figures in Turkey, around 300 people were arrested recently for statements or social media posts critical of Ankara’s ongoing military operations in northern Syria.