Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of Turkey’s Medical Association, an internationally recognized forensic physician, anti-torture expert, and human rights champion, was recently forced out of her position and imprisoned for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda. These developments appear to be retaliation for her urging for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons by Turkey’s ... Continue Reading>>
Court Acquits Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Former Chairperson of The Institute of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul and President of Turkey’s Human Rights Foundation
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci and two journalists, Erol Onderoglu and Ahmet Nesin, were arrested in June 2016 and accused of spreading terrorist propaganda for their work with a Kurdish newspaper, which has since been closed. The three guest-edited the paper to assist the staff. Turkey Journalists And Activist Acquitted Of Terrorism Charges ... Continue Reading>>
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and the Anti-Torture Initiative Sent a Joint Open Letter to the President of Turkey Condemning Criminal Proceedings Against Dr. Fincanci as Well as the Conviction/Sentence
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, a world renowned expert on torture and co-author of the Istanbul Protocol (guidelines setting international standards for forensic investigations of torture) was criminally charged for signing the Academics for Peace petition and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, almost twice the amount of time given to the ... Continue Reading>>
Trial of Turkish Academics Who Signed Peace Petition Leading to Jail Time and Deferred Sentences
The first group of Turkish Academics who received indictments have been brought before the courts recently. 700 (of 1,128) have been questioned by police, 542 have been indicted and are in some phase of the trial process. 59 have been sentenced to 15 months, 3 have been sentenced to 18 months, one to 27 months and one to 30 months. All had their sentences deferred except for those refusing to ... Continue Reading>>
New Court Date for Turkish Writers and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University, along with two prominent journalists, Erol Onderoglu and Ahmet Nesin, will go to trial on November 8. They have been charged with “terror propaganda.” These charges preceded the attempted coup in Turkey and these individuals had nothing to do with that event. CCS has advocated for these ... Continue Reading>>
Sebnem Korur Fincanci and Colleagues Released, but Charges Not Dropped
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and professor at Istanbul University, has been released from prison, along with her two colleagues. However, the charges against them have not been dropped. These charges could result in 14 years in prison. CCS has requested that the Turkish authorities drop all charges against Dr. Fincanci and her ... Continue Reading>>
Professor and President of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Arrested
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University was arrested on June 20 and charged with “terror propaganda” along with two other prominent writers, Erol Onderoglu and Ahmet Nesin. The arrests seem to have been triggered in response to their participating as “on-duty editor-in-chief” of the newspaper Ozgur Gundem, a pro-Kurdish ... Continue Reading>>