Sister Gul Aslan
	Sister Ümmü Gülsüm Yüksel
	Sister Hüda Kaya
	Brother Nurettin Sirin
	Brother Tamar Aslan
	Brother Yilmaz Yüksel

Sister Gul Aslan 
 

She was born in 1974 in Antalya. After completing her pre-university education in the same town, Gul enrolled in to Marmara University. She was studying in the Communications faculty which was part of the journalism section.  Gul was not allowed to enter for her examinations , because she refused to remove her Islamic dress (hijab). She was therefore prevented from finishing her education.  She is a writer for Selam, an Islamic newspaper based in Istanbul. In May 1996, at age 21 with a six month old baby, Gul was arrested after visiting her husband Tamer in prison.  He is also being held for his Islamic beliefs. Her first court hearing started 5 months after her arrest in Izmir. She still hasn't been found guilty of a crime, and a court case proceeds against her, three years after her detention.

She is serving a 13 year sentence for writing about Islam in such a manner as preferring it over the state of Turkey. Her husband is also in the same prison. They married after they began corresponding with each other after they were arrested. 

 
 

Sister Hüda Kaya & her
Three Daughters

Huda Kaya is also a journalist at Selam. She and her three daughters (aged 16-19) were arrested after helping to organise and participating in the 'Hand in Hand' demonstrations which took place in Oct.98, across Turkey. The demonstrations were in support of female students who were suspended from university for refusing to remove their hijab (since then the hijab ban has been extended to all areas of public life) The State Security Court ordered their detention until 14th Jan. 99. They were then given a further 22 month prison term.

See our URGENT APPEAL for the latest update and more information on Sister Huda Kaya and her daughters.

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Brother Nurettin Sirin

Nurettin Sirin is the editor of Selam,an Islamic newspaper based in Istanbul.  He has served many prison sentences for his views, including writing against Salman Rushdie.  Currently he has been imprisoned for seventeen and a half years for supplying photographs for the Quds Day Rally in Sincan in 1997.  It is reported that he suffered torture at the hands of prison guards and police.

He has also complained of torture at the hands of prison guards.  He has still not been charged or tried for any offence despite spending over 4 years in prison. 

He is serving two consecutive sentences of 12 and 14 years for writing about Islam.