ELDH Statement (in Turkish as PDF download, see below)
Too often progressive lawyers are the target of arbitrary state violence and oppression. They are oppressed because they defend workers, trade unionists, political activists, alleged terrorists, and victims of state violence. They are oppressed because they fight for the upholding of human rights and labour law. They are oppressed because they seek to fulfil their professional functions. They have been oppressed simply because they are lawyers.
The latest outrageous example of such oppression has taken place in Turkey. Two progressive lawyers’ associations have been banned by state of emergency decrees, although neither association has even been suspected of being involved in the failed military coup of 15 July 2016. Both associations are members of ELDH.
Recently, there has been a wave of new arrests. Selçuk KOZAGAÇLI, the president of ÇHD, is one of the victims, among many others.
Detained ÇHD lawyers
· Behiç Aşçı (Urfa)
· Ayşegül Çağatay (Ankara)
· Aycan Çiçek (Izmir)
· Naciye Demir (Istanbul)
· Naim. F. Eminoğlu (Ankara)
· Şükriye Erden (Istanbul)
· Yağmur Ereren (Ordu)
· Engin Gökoğlu (Ankara)
· Süleyman Gökten (Istanbul)
· Selçuk Kozağaçlı (Ankara)
· Ahmet Mandacı (Istanbul)
· Zehra Özdemir (Istanbul)
· Ebru Timtik (Istanbul)
· Barkın Timtik (Istanbul)
· Yaprak Türkmen (Istanbul)
· Aytaç Ünsal (Ankara)
· Didem Baydar Ünsal (Ankara)
· Özgür Yılmaz (Istanbul)
Detained ÖHP lawyers
· Özlem Gümüştaş (İstanbul)
· Cemo Tüysüz (Urfa)
· Sezin Uçar (İstanbul)
· Halil İbrahim Vargün (Ankara)
ÖHD Lawyers in police custody
· Hakim Peker (Istanbul), released on 28 December 2017
· Gürkan İstekli (Istanbul, released on 28 December 2017
ELDH demands the immediate release of Selçuk Kozağaçlı and the other lawyers, the cessation of the proceedings against them, and also demands that they receive full compensation for their arrest, for the injuries some of them received, and for the damages done to their reputations as lawyers, as well as for the economic damage they suffered while unable to work.
ELDH demands furthermore that the Turkish government respects the professional work and role of lawyers, and complies in particular with Article 9 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as Art. 16 and 18 of the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
ELDH assures its full solidarity to all members of Turkish Bar Associations who struggle for the release of lawyers who have been detained for political reasons in Turkey, simply because they represent clients in political cases; and to the struggle of the Turkish Bar Associations for the reinstatement of the rule of law in Turkey and for strengthening of the independence of the judicial system in Turkey.