Istanbul court rules to release the head of Amnesty in Turkey

The human rights group Amnesty International have reacted to an Istanbul court’s decision
to release the head of their group in the country.
Taner Kilic has been in prison since last June - when he was detained on terrorism charges.
Amnesty international's director for Europe, Gauri van Gulik, believes this case raises wider
concerns about Turkey's justice system.
Ms van Gulik said: "I am sitting in the court with high level diplomats from all over the world, next to the consul from US, United Kingdom, İtaly, Germany, France and many other countries. There is strong support now for this case.
People understand that this case has become a symbol of the deterioration of the rule of law in Turkey."
Last October Amnesty employee Peter Steudtner was released in Turkey along with seven other human rights activists.
Since the 2016 coup attempt, 40,000 people have been arrested as part of President Erdogan's crackdown.