Written declaration No. 698 | Doc. 15003 | 25 October 2019

German singer Saide Inac and her daughter must be immediately released from Turkish prisons

Signatories: Ms Gabriela HEINRICH, Germany, SOC ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Mr Fourat BEN CHIKHA, Belgium, SOC ; Ms María Luisa BUSTINDUY, Spain, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Zita GURMAI, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Antonio GUTIÉRREZ, Spain, SOC ; Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr George PAPANDREOU, Greece, SOC ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Susana SUMELZO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Violeta TOMIĆ, Slovenia, UEL ; Mr Manuel TORNARE, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Ute VOGT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Martin WHITFIELD, United Kingdom, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

Saide Inac, a German singer of Kurdish origin also known as “Hozan Cane”, was arrested in July 2018 and sentenced to prison for six years and three months for promoting terrorist propaganda. The conviction seems to have been politically motivated. Since the beginning of her detention, Ms Saide’s health has worsened considerably. She is in need of constant medical care, but the medical supply in prison is inadequate.

In April 2019, the Turkish authorities announced a travel ban on Saide Inac’s daughter, Gönül Örs. She was no longer allowed to leave Turkey. A few days ago Gönül Örs was arrested in Edirne, Turkey. The situation of the family has worsened dramatically.

We urge the Turkish authorities to immediately release the German citizens Saide Inac and her daughter Gönül Örs. We strongly believe that no one should be arrested for their political convictions. Their release is a humanitarian necessity. The persecution of Saide Inac and her daughter is a violation of Turkey’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, including of Article 9.