Sofortige Freilassung von Ragip und Deniz Zarakolu - Setzen Sie der politisch motivierten Verhaftungswelle in der Türkei ein Ende!

Immediately release Ragip and Deniz Zarakolu – Stop the politically motivated arrest wave in Turkey!

Dear Mister President Gül,
Dear Justice Minister Ergin,

I am deeply concerned about the recent detentions of the following citizens of Turkey, who have been detained together with other intellectuals during a wave of arrests against members of the KCK, the legal parliamentary party BDP and related organizations:

• Mr Ragip Zarakolu, founder and owner of the “Belge” Publishing House (Istanbul), internationally known human rights defender (founder of the Human Rights Association of Turkey, IHD; chairman of the Committee for the Freedom of Publishers of the Union of Publishers of Turkey - Türkiye Yayıncılar Birliği Yayımlama Özgürlüğü Komitesi Başkanı); detained on 28 October 2011; arrested 31 October 2011
  
  
• Mr Deniz Zarakolu (Editor, author and translator of the Istanbul “Belge” publishing house and translator of academic publications for the Bilgi University; interpreter for human rights delegations from the UK and other European states; lecturer of philophy at the Kurdish BDP party’s Academy of Political Science;); detained 4 October 2011
  
  
• Mr Aziz Tunç (Writer for the Istanbul “Belge” publishing house and lecturer at the BDP Academy)
  
  

I am also worried about health conditions during detention, in particular for those prisoners of Conscience who were arrested under the anti-terrorism law.

I appeal to you:

- To stop arbitrary arrests and detentions for political convictions and conscience;
- To immediately release the above mentioned persons and to review similar cases;
- To ensure full access to efficient medical treatment for all detainees and jailed persons in Turkey;
- To ensure that the basic liberties of free opinion, research, education, teaching and publishing as enshrined in international law and conventions are more effectively respected.