Snowden shares video to support rights activists arrested in Turkey

ISTANBUL

The former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden shared a video on his Twitter account on Oct. 23, calling for support to rights activists arrested in Turkey, including Amnesty International Turkey Director İdil Eser.

“Amnesty stood up for me when there was a hard thing to do. Now, it is time for us to stand up for them,” Snowden said in the 43-second video, referring to the arrest of İdil and Taner Kılıç, the head of Amnesty International in Turkey.

“I know what it means to have support from the outside world in that moment when you are alone,” Snowden said, urging for solidarity for the arrested activists.

Police raided a workshop attended by the activists on the island of Büyükada on July 5, detaining 11 people.

An Istanbul court later ordered the arrest of eight activists on accusations of “aiding a terror group,” while two were released on a judicial control order and banned from traveling abroad.

The suspects currently face up to 15 years in jail on terror charges.

Kılıç had also been arrested on charges of having links to the network of U.S.-based Islamic Fethullah Gülen, widely believed to have been behind last year’s failed coup earlier in June.