Amnesty International has responded to news today that a court has accepted the indictment of eleven Turkish rights defenders, including Amnesty-Turkey’s Director and Chair.

“This indictment fails to provide a shred of incriminating evidence to substantiate the trumped up terrorism charges it contains. In accepting this indictment the Istanbul Court has missed a golden opportunity to bring this grotesque miscarriage of justice to a halt,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe Director.

The 11 defendants are set to have their first hearing on 25 October in Istanbul. Taner Kiliç is set appear before an Izmir court under a separate indictment on 26 October 2017.

Amnesty International will be sending observers to both trials and will publish a critique of the case against them next week.