07/06/2018 (Agence Europe) – The spokesperson for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Maja Kocijancic, has spoken out against the successive arrests of human rights defenders in Turkey, a year after the imprisonment of Taner Kılıҫ, the head of Amnesty International. Kılıҫ and other human rights defenders, as well as journalists, parliamentarians and judges were arrested in Turkey after the attempted coup on 15 July 2016. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and several groups of MEPs have all previously shown their concern on this matter (see EUROPE 11952, 11957). The spokesperson affirmed the need for "concrete and sustainable improvements" in the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and fundamental freedoms in order to bring progress to relations between the European Union and Turkey. (CG)