To the Press and Public Opinion
On 10 April 2013, Wednesday totally 72 KESK’s executives and members including Lami Özgen president of the confederation will be tried in accordance with the suspicion of being terror organization’s member. 72 KESK and its affiliated trade unions’ members and executives, 22 of which are in prison, only committed a crime by organizing the laborers and by struggling for better working conditions and decent works.
International trade union movement is determined to expose such arbitrary prosecutions of trade union activists and monitors increasing violation of rights and freedoms in Turkey with a concern.
22 KESK’s unionists have been in prison since 25 June 2012. They were arrested and detained after the police raided KESK’s Headquarters Office and houses of some members.
There is no doubt that such cases should be evaluated within a general frame of harassments and repression against trade union movement in Turkey. Such cases also imply the poor situation concerning right to organize and freedom of expression.
International Trade Union Movement has been always on the side of people who carry out a struggle for democracy, social justice and laborers’ rights and freedoms by running the risk of possibility of arrest.
We strongly condemn such injustice which seems to be found acceptable for trade union activists in Turkey by the authorities.
We will be on Turkey’s trade union movement’s side as they have already struggled for decent work, a democratic country and employment for everybody.
ITUC, TCO, GEW, NASUWT, OLME, KTOS, KTOEOS, DLF, DOE, SNES-FSU, VER.Dİ