View source for Turkey Frees Top Doctor Who Sought Chemical Arms Probe

Turkish medical union chief Sebnem Korur Fincanci helped draft UN rules for documenting torture<br>  A Turkish court on Wednesday released an internationally respected medic who outraged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by backing a probe into the army's alleged use of chemical weapons in Iraq.<br> Turkish Medical Association head Sebnem Korur Fincanci was detained and jailed in October for using a television interview to highlight claims that first surfaced in media close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).<br> The militia alleged that 17 of its fighters had died in Turkish chemical weapons attacks in the mountains of northern Iraq that month.<br> The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara and  [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-hk Lawyer Turkey] its Western allies for waging a bloody insurgency since 1984.<br> Its media outlets are banned in Turkey and its claims are uniformly rejected by Ankara.<br> An Istanbul criminal court on Wednesday found Fincanci guilty of disseminating "terrorist propaganda" -- a charge that could have seen her jailed for seven and  [https://mediawiki.wikisoc.org/index.php?title=Russian_Oligarchs_Welcome_In_Turkey_Foreign_Minister_Says Lawyer Turkey] a half years.<br> But it sentenced her to less than three years in prison and ordered her immediate release while she appeals.<br> The judgement delivers a rare setback for prosecutors in a country where thousands of government critics and political opponents -- many of them Kurds -- languish behind bars.<br> - 'A surprise' -<br> "We thought they would keep her in jail," defence [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-cz Lawyer Turkey] Meric Eyuboglu told AFP after the trial.<br> "We were preparing for the worst, and this is a surprise. We are happy for her."<br> Fincanci is a forensic medicine expert and rights defenders who helped draft a 1999 protocol that the United Nations took as the basis for its work on documenting torture.<br>          Turkish anti-riot police mobilised outside the court in Istanbul<br>  Her decision to add weight to the PKK allegations infuriated the Turkish army and was personally condemned by Erdogan.<br> The Turkish leader accused Fincanci of "speaking the language of terrorism" while the defence ministry called her comments "slander".<br> The trial was accompanied by stepped up security measures and a heavy riot police presence both inside and outside the Istanbul courthouse.<br> Fincanci told the court during three days of hearings that she did not expect a fair verdict after coming under personal attack from Erdogan.<br> She cited a Turkish poll showing that "one out of every two people believes that people are in prison based on what they think".<br> Fincanci's medical association has a history of supporting opposition causes and sparring with Erdogan's government.<br> - 'Very happy' -<br> It criticised the health ministry's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and staged protests demanding better pay.<br> The union says that all 11 of its executive committee members are now under investigation for potential "membership of a terrorist organisation".<br>          Fincanci's medical association has a history of supporting opposition causes and sparring with Erdogan's government<br>  Fincanci herself was briefly detained in 2016 for  [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-sy Lawyer Turkey] appearing as a guest editor for a small newspaper read by Turkey's Kurdish community.<br> But her collaborations with forensic experts working with the United Nations in places such as Bosnia drew international attention to the trial.<br> "I am very happy now that professor Sebnem Fincanci is released," Standing Committee of European Doctors vice president Ole Johan Bakke told AFP after the trial.<br> "But she still has a sentence hanging over her," he added.<br><br>"We have to work very closely with the Turkish Medical Association to win that match as well."<br> The Turkish association vowed to clear Fincanci's name fully.<br> "Our struggle will continue," it tweeted after the verdict.<br>Here's more info in regards to [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-tn Lawyer Turkey] look into our web site. "Physicians, don't be silent. The (association) cannot be Silenced!"<br><br>adverts.addToArray({"pos":"inread_player"})Advertisement