From the day that the prosecutor ruled my detention, until now, everything has been upside down. I am speechless and now going back to Silivri [prison] to pack my bag.
—Büşra Ersanli

Büşra Ersanli, university professor and political scientist, was among 16 people freed on July 13 upon the closure of the first hearing of the Union of Communities in Kurdistan (Koma Civaken Kurdistan, or KCK) case held in a court in Silivri prison, outside Istanbul. However, the trial will resume on October 1, and it is likely to go on for some months. While welcoming Ersanli’s release, PEN International remains concerned that the writers, academics, and journalists charged in this case are being tried in violation of their rights to non-violent freedom of expression and association. These are principles to which the Turkish government is committed as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.