‘This high-profile human rights work – particularly her advocacy against torture – has made her a target for the authorities’
‘I HAVE NEVER HAD THE HABIT OF BOWING TO ANY AUTHORITY’
A frequent target for the authorities, Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı, the head of the Turkish Medical Association, now faces more than seven years in prison because of her human rights work.
A prominent human rights defender, anti- torture advocate and forensic medicine expert, Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı has held a number of senior civil society positions, including with the Human Rights Foundation, which specialises in preventing torture. She is currently the head of the Turkish Medical Association, a professional body that represents 88 per cent of the physicians in the country. Prof Fincancı’s work is internationally renowned. As one of the founding members of the Forensic Doctors’ Association, she played an important role in the development of the Istanbul Protocol, which sets the UN standards for the investigation and documentation of cases of torture. She has also carried out undercover forensic
investigations various countries. Her efforts have earned her awards, including 14 AMNESTY WINTER 2024 to expose torture in
the 2014 International Hrant Dink Award, which is given to people whose work provides inspiration and hope, and the 2018 Hessian Peace Prize, which is awarded to outstanding individuals who further mutual understanding among nations.
Becoming a target
But this high-profile human rights work – particularly her advocacy against torture – has also made her a target for the authorities in Türkiye.
On 19 October 2022, during a trip to Germany, Prof Fincancı appeared on a programme on the Kurdish channel Media News TV, answering questions about images of victims of alleged use of chemical weapons by
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
