Judicial harassment of Turkish sociologist Pınar Selek

Written declaration No. 781 | Doc. 15808 | 21 June 2023

Signatories:

Mr Frédéric MATHIEU, France, UEL ; Mr Gergely ARATÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Stéphane BERGERON, Canada ; Ms Larysa BILOZIR, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Bertrand BOUYX, France, ALDE ; Ms Laura CASTEL, Spain, UEL ; Ms Mireille CLAPOT, France, ALDE ; Mr Jeremy CORBYN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Paul GAVAN, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Antón GÓMEZ-REINO, Spain, UEL ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Stephanie KRISPER, Austria, ALDE ; Ms Arndís Anna KRISTÍNARDÓTTIR GUNNARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Sir Tony LLOYD, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Ms Ada MARRA, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Marco NICOLINI, San Marino, UEL ; Mr Julian PAHLKE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Maud PETIT, France, ALDE ; Ms Jódís SKÚLADÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Anne STAMBACH-TERRENOIR, France, UEL ; Mr Andreas Sjalg UNNELAND, Norway, UEL ; Ms Tamara VONTA, Slovenia, ALDE

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We express our deep concern about the judicial harassment of Turkish-born sociologist and feminist Pınar Selek over the past 25 years, accused of committing an attack in Istanbul in 1998. Pınar Selek’s commitment to peace and the rights of minorities and precarious populations (Armenians, Kurds, street children, homeless, LGBT...) should be welcomed as an example to follow.

We are surprised that the Turkish Supreme Court quashed the fourth acquittal, eight years after it, in June 2022, and that the Istanbul Assize Court issued an international arrest warrant with immediate imprisonment, even before the new hearing scheduled for 31 March 2023 took place.

Noting that, at the hearing on 31 March at the Assize Court in Istanbul, a new hearing was scheduled for 29 September 2023 and that the International Arrest Warrant was renewed, we urge Türkiye to end the judicial proceedings against Pınar Selek, as well as the International Arrest Warrant.

We call on the member States to publicly express their support for Pınar Selek and to declare their refusal to respond favourably to the international arrest warrant issued against her.