Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the president of an association in Turkey (details supplied) has been arrested and imprisoned; his views on the arrest; if he will request their release; and if the case will be raised with his Turkish counterpart. [50094/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that I have on many occasions expressed my grave concern at the large-scale arrests of public servants and academics, as well as many others, in the aftermath of the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016. I am aware of the specific case to which Deputy Crowe refers, and our Embassy in Ankara has been keeping us informed of developments in the case, which is also being closely observed by the European Union. I reiterate that all those accused and charged with a crime are entitled to a free and fair trial and must be accorded full due process, including access to their legal teams. I urge the Turkish authorities to ensure that the conditions for a fair and objective trial are fully observed, in this and all other cases, and have asked my officials to request an update from the Embassy of Turkey in Dublin.