The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, meeting in Sessionon 26 March in Strasbourg (France), examined a report on the situation of Leyla Güven and other local elected representatives in detention in Turkey. Following their second visit to Leyla Güven in Diyarbakir prison on 7 December 2013, the Congress rapporteurs, Anders Knape, Sweden (L, EPP/CCE) and Leen Verbeek, Netherlands (R, SOC) pointed out that 15 mayors, 23 deputy mayors and dozens of municipal councillors had been in remand detention for years – an unprecedented situation in the Council of Europe member states, while Turkey was preparing to hold new local elections on 30 March.
“Leyla Güven was arrested on 29 December 2009, while she was mayor of Viranşehir and member of the Congress. More than four years later, she is still in detention. She has been on trial since 2010, with no end to her trial in sight”, said Mr Knape. “Such detentions constitute a serious obstacle to the democratic process in Turkey and also raise serious questions about the rule of law and the protection of human rights in this country”, he added.
The rapporteurs also noted that as a result of a recent ruling of the Turkish Constitutional Court, all the members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly who had been detained in similar circumstances and for the same reasons as Leyla Güven had now been freed. (more...)
See also :
Turkey and the Council of Europe
