Amnesty director in Turkey has not been released

The release of the chief of Amnesty International in Turkey, the lawyer Taner Kiliç, did not go through at the last minute.

Some Turkish media report that a public prosecutor objected to his release. He would have turned to another court to reverse the release. Other media reported that Kiliç was arrested again on the basis of a new indictment. He will be introduced on Thursday in Izmir.

Kiliç has been in custody since June last year, on suspicion of terrorist activities related to the coup attempt in 2016. The Turkish president Erdogan has opened the hunt for possible supporters of the spiritual Fethullah Gülen who, in his opinion, is behind the coup attempt.