ISTANBUL (AP) – A court in Istanbul on Wednesday delayed handing down its rulings in the case of 11 prominent human rights activists on trial for terror-related charges and adjourned proceedings until April.
During the court session, the activists asked to be acquitted of charges of belonging to or aiding terror groups.
The closely-watched case against Amnesty International’s former Turkey chairman and 10 other activists heightened concerns about Turkey’s treatment of human rights defenders and helped sour Turkey’s relations with European nations, notably with Germany.
The court in Istanbul was widely expected to issue its verdicts at the end of Wednesday’s hearing. However, it adjourned the trial until April 3, citing a lack of time for all the defense statements.
Wednesday’s hearing was held a day after Turkish prosecutors ordered a prominent philanthropist, Osman Kavala, detained for alleged ties to a 2016 coup attempt, just hours after a court acquitted him on terrorism-related charges over anti-government protests in 2013. Human Rights Watch called the decision to re-arrest Kavala, who has already spent 840 days in prison, “vindictive and lawless.”