Six members of the Human Rights Association (İHD) are set to appear in court on 29 September and 2 October following months of pre-trial detention. The individuals, identified as Mert Ahmet Aldemir, Zehra Camcı, Hale Nur Çetin, Emirhan Gedik, Tuğba Kahraman, and Şevin Özden, were among sixteen İHD members arrested on 23 June 2026. These arrests occurred in the lead-up to the NATO Summit held in Ankara on 7 and 8 July 2026.
The detentions followed a large-scale operation initiated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. This action took place shortly after the Ankara Governorate imposed a thirteen-day ban on all public assemblies across the province, effective from 28 June until 10 July 2026. Authorities cited national security concerns related to the summit as the justification for the restrictions. During the raids, at least 225 people were detained. Of these, 178 were remanded in custody on charges of membership in an armed illegal organization, while 34 were placed under house arrest.
Among those detained were human rights defenders, journalists, and lawyers. While two of the sixteen İHD members were released immediately, fourteen were remanded in custody on 25 and 26 June 2026 across two separate investigations. Eight of these fourteen were later released. The remaining six continue to face trial. The prosecution sought their continued detention based on speculative assertions that they might commit terrorist acts to associate the Republic of Türkiye with terrorism, rather than citing concrete evidence or specific acts.
The indictments against the six defenders do not present proof that they committed or encouraged violence, nor do they demonstrate involvement in a hierarchical structure of an illegal organization. Instead, prosecutors have relied on their participation in peaceful assemblies, public activities, and human rights advocacy work as evidence supporting the charges.
Tuğba Kahraman, Hale Nur Çetin, Mert Ahmet Aldemir, and Şevin Özden are scheduled to appear before the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court on 29 September 2026. Emirhan Gedik and Zehra Camcı will appear before the Ankara 2nd High Criminal Court on 2 October 2026 for their first hearings.
Organizations participating in the SOS-Defenders project, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders—a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)—have expressed solidarity with the İHD. They urge Turkish authorities to release the detainees immediately and end the criminalization of human rights defenders. The signatories argue that these actions violate Turkey’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly regarding the right to liberty, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
