Trial of 11 human rights activists in Turkey begins

Istanbul: Eleven human rights activists, including the two top figures with Amnesty International in Turkey, went on trial today in Istanbul on contested terror charges, an AFP correspondent said.

The activists including a German and a Swedish national, of whom nine are in pre-trial detention, are accused of "terrorist activities" in a case which has raised fears over the state of the judiciary and human rights in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.