Turkey jails Amnesty activists in 'terrorism' case

Taner Kilic has been on trial for three years

A Turkish court has sentenced the ex-head of Amnesty International in Turkey, Taner Kilic, to six years in jail on terrorism-related charges.

Another former senior Amnesty official in Turkey, Idil Eser, was jailed for two years by the Istanbul court.

Prosecutors allege that the two were involved in a secret meeting near Istanbul in 2017, which sought to foment an uprising and chaos in Turkey.

An Amnesty spokesman condemned it as "an outrage" with "absurd allegations".

Andrew Gardner, in a tweet, also said there was "no evidence" for the conviction. "The torment continues. We won't give up until all are acquitted."

Kilic and Eser say they were taking part in a human rights workshop when it was raided by police.

Two other human rights activists besides Eser got two years' jail for "helping a terrorist organisation".

Seven more activists, including Peter Steudtner, a German national, and Ali Gharavi, a Swede, were acquitted.

The arrests came amid a huge Turkish state crackdown following an abortive coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.

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Kilic, now Amnesty's honorary chair, was released on bail in August 2018 after 14 months in jail.

He is accused of links to the movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, which is branded subversive by President Erdogan and blamed for the 2016 coup attempt.