LPPSF addressed Turkish Ambassador in Vilnius regarding the detained trade union leaders

On December 16, the Lithuanian Industry Trade Union Federation (LPPSF) addressed Turkey’s Ambassador in Vilnius, Görkem Barış Tantekin, requesting the urgent transmission of concerns to the Turkish government regarding the detained trade union leaders.

One of the detained trade unionists, Remzi Çalışkan, Vice-President of the Turkish Confederation DİSK, is an active member of the Executive Committee of the European Public Service Union Federation (EPSU), the umbrella organization of LPPSF.

In the letter to the ambassador, LPPSF urged monitoring of the case and possible court hearings, as well as advocating for the release of the detainees.

“Lithuania has long maintained friendly relations with Turkey as a country striving to promote democratic values. However, the increasing number of unlawful and unjustified arrests of trade union leaders in Turkey indicates that your country is moving away from the principles of democracy and the rule of law, with illegal practices becoming more frequent,” stated the letter, signed on behalf of the Federation by its President Dalia Jakutavičė.