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ILPS Condemns the Unjust Arrest of Binali Soydan
and Demands His Immediate Release
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee
International League of Peoples' Struggle
8 July 2007
The International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) condemns in the strongest
terms the arrest and detention on 19 June 2007 by the German authorities of Binali
Soydan, a refugee persecuted by the fascist Turkish state. Soydan was treacherously
arrested while on his way to the German Aliens Police to apply for extension of his
residence permit.
The German government took this patently unjust action upon the request of the
Turkish government for the extradition of Soydan. This action exposes the immense
hypocrisy of the German government which talks about democracy while collaborating
with the very undemocratic Turkish state in persecuting progressives like Binali Soydan
who are fighting for the democratic rights of the people..
In Turkey, anyone who opposes the state is persecuted. Anyone who opposes the
state terrorism of the Turkish state is called a terrorist. This fascist government has
been reprimanded by the European Court of Human Rights for many cases of human
rights violations.
Binali Soydan faces certain arrest and persecution if he is sent back by the German
authorities to Turkey. He faces the possibility of being subjected to torture, isolation
and other inhumane treatment that prisoners of conscience suffer in the hands of the
fascist Turkish state.
Binali Soydan is a progressive and a democrat. He came to Germany as a refugee who
suffered from persecution by the Turkish regime. He was previously imprisoned and
tortured while in detention for opposing the fascist regime in Turkey.
For many years now, European governments have been using the so-called war on
terror to persecute progressive emigrees in Europe who are fighting for democracy
and social reforms in their home countries. They use the terrorist tag on leaders and
members of liberation movements as license to violate their elementary human rights.
These European governments thus expose their extreme duplicity and extraordinary
hypocrisy.
We call on all progressive and democratic organizations and all people of good will to
condemn the unjust arrest and detention of Binali Soydan and call for his immediate
release. We call on all member organizations of ILPS to support all actions that may be
taken to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Binali Soydan. ###
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