Eren Keskin

Who is Eren Keskin?

Eren Keskin is a lawyer and human rights activist in Turkey.

She is vice-president of the Turkish Human Rights Association and a former president of its Istanbul branch.

She co-founded the project "Legal Aid For Women Who Were Raped Or Otherwise Sexually Abused by National Security Forces”, to expose abuses happening to women in Turkish prisons. She has been the object of numerous lawsuits in relation to her human rights activities.

In 1995 she was imprisoned for her activities and was adopted as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

In 2002 she was accused by Turkey's State Security of "aiding and abbetting" the PKK because of her advocacy for Kurds to use their native language in Turkey.

In 2004 she received the Aachen Peace Award "for her courageous efforts and activities for human rights." In 2005 she was awarded the Esslingen-based Theodor Haecker Prize for Civic Courage and Political Integrity. In March 2006 a Turkish court sentenced her to 10 months’ imprisonment for insulting the country’s military. The sentence was then converted to a fine of 6000 New Turkish Liras, which Keskin refused to pay.