My Dad’s trial is tomorrow, can you help us?

Demand Justice for Taner Kılıç Sign the Petition › Dear friends, The day they came to take my father away, my older sister and I were in Istanbul taking our final exams. We weren’t there to say goodbye. Instead, I heard about this sad news when I came across images of my father on social media, with messages calling for his freedom. I cannot fully describe the pain I felt at that moment. My father, Taner Kılıç, is a devoted human rights defender and chair of Amnesty International Turkey. He faces baseless terror charges aimed at silencing critical voices like his within our country. If he is found guilty, he could face up to 15 years in jail, even though he has done nothing wrong. He has been swept up in a massive crackdown against peaceful activists and other members of civil society. He’s been imprisoned since last June. Friends, my father’s trial is tomorrow and I will be there hoping for his release from prison. Will you help us now by taking action and asking for his release? The Turkish authorities claim he downloaded ByLock, an encrypted messaging app similar to WhatsApp that the government says was used by those they claim organized the coup attempt over a year ago. This is absurd—my father is the last person who could ever be guilty of such charges. In December the authorities admitted mistakes were made in the cases of thousands of people from all walks of life like my father who have been detained for supposedly downloading this app when they hadn’t. A huge mistake has also been made in the case of my own father, and it must be rectified immediately. Our family has been separated for almost 8 months. This isn’t something that becomes normal over time—on the contrary, my father’s imprisonment becomes more and more difficult for us to endure as time passes. His continued imprisonment is a threat against other human rights defenders in our country, who could face similar charges if they continue their work. I will continue to support my father and his work — take action now and ask the government to drop all charges against my father. When I turn back to my childhood, I remember my father as having always stood for justice for all people. I have always been proud of my father and feel lucky to be his daughter, now more than ever. We have received support from all corners of the globe thanks to the unwavering support of Amnesty International. Together, we continue to fight for my father’s release. My family and I are so thankful to everyone who stands with us and shares our sorrow in these tough times. Please urge the Government to release my Father. This feels like a bad dream from which I’m waiting to wake up. All we want from the court is nothing but justice. SIncerely, Gülnihal Kılıç TAKE ACTION © 2017 Amnesty International USA 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 1-800-AMNESTY