The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called for the immediate release of Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA).

“ETUC strongly condemns the arrest and imprisonment of Professor Korur Fincancı Şebnem and calls for her immediate release” said Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary. “We also condemn  the arrest of KESK members and the interference in the Turkish Medical Association as an organisation. The Turkish authorities should immediately stop these blatant violations of trade union rights. Turkey must respect the obligations and commitments it has signed up to under the ILO fundamental Conventions and the European Convention of Human Rights.”

Professor Korur-Fincancı was arrested on 26 October and imprisoned on 27 October under Article 7§2 of the Anti-Terror Law of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "publicly degrading the Turkish Nation, the state of the Republic of Türkiye and its institutions" because of her comments in the media about the allegations that Türkiye used chemical gases during its military operations in Iraq and for which she called for an independent investigation.

The Turkish Medical Association represents more than 100.000 medical doctors and is a sister organisation of the ETUC affiliate KESK.  

Five members of KESK who tried to attend the Court Hearing as observers, were arrested  but later released.

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's office has also requested that the President of the Turkish Medical Association should be suspended from her duties. Removal from office would be a clear and unacceptable interference in the freedom of trade unions to organise their own activities and structures.