Detained human rights activists face charges in IstanbulJuly 17, 2017 - 14:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ten human rights activists are appearing before a court in Istanbul to face possible charges, The Associated Press reports. The activists, including Amnesty International’s Turkey director Idil Eser, were detained earlier this month in a police raid on a hotel where they were attending a workshop on digital security. They were being questioned by court officials on Monday, July 17. Amnesty said the group was being investigated for membership in an armed terrorist organization. Turkey has launched a massive crackdown since last year’s failed coup, arresting some 50,000 people and dismissing more than 100,000 from government jobs. The crackdown initially focused on people with suspected ties to the alleged coup plotters, but has been extended to include other government opponents. Last month Amnesty’s Turkey chair, Taner Kilic, was arrested on terror-related charges. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |