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Also, an action alert
Hi everyone,
Thanks to all of you for your quick replies and for adding your names to the petitions we have been sending to the US Embassy and the Turkish Consulate to call for Jake's immediate release. Reportedly Jake is receiving food and a daily shower, but will be held in prison until Monday. He is supposed to go before a judge today.
This morning we heard from Jake's lawyer, who said that Jake is being threatened with deportation. The deportation process would be conducted by the Ministry of the Interior. Mr. Akbas advised us to contact the Ministry directly to call for a cessation of any deportation proceedings.
Please take a few minutes to write or call the Ministry, and forward this request widely.
I have included below contact information for the Ministry and a revised version of the statement, directed to Minister Atalay, that you can use as a template for the email. If you have a chance, please let me know if/ when you have sent a letter so that we can monitor how many are sent.
Solidarity,
Molly
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Contact information for Ministry:
Telephone Number of the Ministry of Interior: 0090 312 422 40 00
Minister of Interior besir.atalay at icisleri.gov.tr Advisor to the Ministry mustesarlik at icisleri.gov.tr General Secretary gsekreter at icisleri.gov.tr Registry ozelkalem at icisleri.gov.tr Foreign Relations diab at icisleri.gov.tr Legal Service hukuk at icisleri.gov.tr Press and public Relations basin at icisleri.gov.tr General Directory of Security bphism at egm.gov.tr
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Template for email to Ministry:
Dear Minister Atalay:
I have received word through the press that Mr. Jake Hess, a US citizen working as a journalist in Turkey, has been detained by Turkish authorities in connection with an upcoming trial against members of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK). I am alarmed by this precipitous action, which on its face violates international standards on civil and political rights, including treaties to which the Republic of Turkey is a signatory. I ask that you communicate to your government our demand that Mr. Hess be immediately released from detention without threat of deportation.
By all accounts, Mr. Hess has done nothing more than translate articles for a Kurdish organization and report on Kurdish issues for Inter Press Sevice and other news outlets. Mr. Hess has been denied access to his lawyer, Mr. Serkan Akbas, for at least 24 hours. On its face, Mr. Hess's detention violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Turkey is a signatory, in particular: Article 9, recognizing freedom from arbitrary detention; Article 14, recognizing the right to communicate with counsel; and Article 19, recognizing freedom of expression, including "freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers."
I urgently implore the cessation of any deportation proceedings and call on you to act to secure the immediate release of Mr. Hess.
Sincerely,
Etc.