EuroMed Rights strongly condemns the murder of Tahir Elçi, President of Diyarbakır Bar Association, on 28 November 2015 in Diyarbakır, Turkey.
Tahir Elçi, a prominent human rights lawyer, was killed while holding a press conference on the damages of armed clashes in Sur in Diyarbakır. In addition to Elçi, 2 police officers were killed.
Elçi, who is a also member of Human Rights Association (IHD) an EuroMed Rights member organisation, was known for his human rights activities and his struggle for the rights of Kurds. He had faced judicial investigation for his declaration that “PKK is not a terrorist organisation” in mid-October. He was arrested and taken to the court on 19 October 2015 and then released but banned from travelling abroad. The murder of Tahir Elçi is the last example of grave human rights violations that resulted from escalated violence, in Turkey. Since late July, right to life, freedom of media, expression, and assembly have been continuously violated. Human rights defenders, like Elçi, were under pressure and threat.
EuroMed Rights calls for a credible, effective and thorough investigation on the murder of Tahir Elci. We express our condolences to his family and our solidarity with the organisations to which Elçi belongs.