Since our establishment, Human Rights Defenders e.V. (HRD) has been deeply committed to an uninterrupted global struggle to defend the fundamental rights of individuals who face human rights violations, endure persecution, and whose voices are unjustly silenced. Founded in Germany by Turkish lawyers, former bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs who sought political asylum in Germany and across Europe, our association firmly believes in the supremacy of universal law. While our mandate is global, we place a special and urgent focus on the deepening human rights crises in Turkey. As a necessary extension of this mission, we continue our diplomatic advocacy efforts without slowing down, ensuring that the voices of the victims are heard on the highest international platforms.
In line with this commitment, our association is participating with a strong, well-equipped delegation in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Human Rights Meeting. This highly significant two-day global gathering is taking place on March 16-17 in Vienna, Austria, and provides a crucial platform for international human rights advocacy.
On the Ground with a 5-Person Expert Delegation
We are attending this critical two-day organization with a specialized delegation of five representatives—two joining from Germany and three from Belgium. Our time in Vienna is densely packed with diplomatic contacts, panel discussions, and bilateral meetings. While we have brought numerous files documenting various rights violations to the table, our primary and most urgent agenda item is the new “amnesty and penal execution regulation” currently on the legislative agenda in Turkey.
We are persistently explaining to all international institutions that this regulation, in its current form and according to drafts leaked to the press, carries the severe danger of undermining the principle of “equality before the law,” which is a cornerstone of fundamental jurisprudence. It is entirely unacceptable that political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, and tens of thousands of individuals held hostage in prisons—often without concrete legal evidence and solely based on alleged affiliations with the Hizmet Movement—are to be excluded from these amnesty or sentence reduction provisions. We are conducting uninterrupted lobbying efforts to eliminate this discriminatory approach, which flagrantly violates universal human rights norms, and to ensure true justice in the execution of penal sentences.
A Critical Meeting with the Vice-President of the Venice Commission
Our intense schedule in Vienna is not limited to participating in general sessions. Yesterday, we held a highly productive, comprehensive, and extended bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of the Venice Commission (the European Commission for Democracy through Law), the Council of Europe’s most respected independent advisory body on constitutional law, justice, and human rights.
During our meeting, we personally conveyed the severe degradation of the justice system in Turkey, the inhumane conditions prevalent in the prisons, and the legal absurdity that will arise if the new penal regulation excludes specific groups driven by political motives. We supported our claims with the detailed, evidence-based reports our team has prepared. The Vice-President listened with great attention, taking careful notes on our arguments and the concrete reports of victimization we presented. At the conclusion of the meeting, they offered us a highly valuable and strategic recommendation on how these discriminatory laws might be challenged on the grounds of international law and how these grievances can be effectively escalated to international courts. Together with the legal experts within HRD e.V., we will meticulously follow up on this crucial recommendation and track the process to its very end.
International Diplomacy and Powerful Networking
OSCE meetings serve as a unique dialogue and advocacy hub for state officials and human rights defenders from various countries. During the breaks between sessions, through corridor diplomacy, and within working groups, we have the vital opportunity to meet with member state delegations, high-level representatives of international institutions, and globally recognized Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Through these interactions, we communicate the realities of civil death and lawlessness in Turkey directly to our counterparts—not just through written reports, but through first-hand human stories. We share our prepared dossiers in English and German, actively seeking ways to act collectively in defense of universal law and human dignity.
Demanding Justice Before the Turkish Delegation
Today marks a historic moment where we will take one of the most concrete steps in our advocacy efforts. During the main plenary session of the meeting, we will deliver an official speech addressed directly to the country delegations, clearly outlining exactly why the amnesty and penal execution regulation in Turkey must be non-discriminatory, fair, and inclusive of all victims.
This speech will serve as the international cry for the mothers, fathers, journalists, academics, and critically ill patients who are unjustly incarcerated. We want to emphasize a crucial detail: in the hall where we will deliver this address, alongside the official delegations of the 57 OSCE member states, the delegation of the Republic of Turkey will also be present. It is our profound duty to stand in an environment where Turkish officials are present, to defend universal law, and to declare from an international podium—directly to their faces—that no group, especially members of the Hizmet Movement, can be abandoned to die out of political hatred and malice.
As Human Rights Defenders e.V., our legal and diplomatic struggle will continue relentlessly until there is not a single person left suffering from injustice, no matter where they are in the world.
To our esteemed supporters, fellow human rights defenders, and the relatives of the victims: to make us feel your support during this historic process and to witness our delegation’s calls to the international community, you can follow the meeting and our speeches live via the link below:
No comment yet, add your voice below!