We, the AED-EDL European Lawyers’ Association, have come to know that on the 25th of October, lawyer Bedirhan Sarsılmaz was taken into custody. At the moment of his detention, lawyer Bedirhan Sarsılmaz, had just finished his plea as part of the defense counsel of his client and was exercising his profession. Lawyer Bedirhan Sarsılmaz of […]
Tag archives: Turkey
Selçuk Kozağaçlı’s honorary presidency
The General Assembly of the European Democratic Lawyers (AED), which took place on February 16-17 2024, marked the beginning of a new era in the fight for fundamental principles such as the rule of law, human rights, and fair trial. During this critical period, for the first time in the history of AED, a figure […]
Report of an Independent International Fact-finding Mission to Turkey examining the Treatment of Lawyers Deprived of their Liberty and Observing Trial Proceedings 6-10 November 2023
Between 6 and 10 November 2023, an international delegation representing 27 law societies, bar associations, human rights groups and legal groups undertook a fact-finding mission to Turkey to interview eight lawyers who have been arrested and detained in circumstances that raise a range of human rights concerns. The delegation also observed two court hearings, the […]
Turkey: Top Court Upholds Rights Defender’s Life Term
Conviction of Osman Kavala and Four Others Needs Urgent International Response (Istanbul, October 10, 2023) – The prosecution of the rights defender and businessman Osman Kavala and four codefendants in connection with mass protests a decade ago has been unfair and essentially a political show trial from the beginning, a group of nine non-governmental organizations […]
Criminalisation of Lawyers in Turkey- Report by ÖHD (Lawyers for Freedom) and Diyarbakir Lawyers’ Bar Association
In the morning hours of the 25th of April 2023, during a wide police operation, 191 people, including 25 lawyers and other members of civil society in Turkey were arrested and their houses searched. Of the 25 lawyers initially arrested, 16 have been released under judicial control, following deposition and interrogation procedures. 4 lawyers are […]
7th anniversary of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement
March 18 2023 marks the 7th anniversary of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement. In 2016, Turkey assumed the role of the European Union’s border guard. It received billions of Euros from theEU on the condition that it held migrants in Turkey and received those who were deported back. Turkey, however, did not hesitate to exploit this […]
Turkey’s terror list: An attack on lawyers and human rights
The undersigned organisations deplore the recent arbitrary designation of Günay Dağ as a “terrorist”. Günay Dağ is a lawyer at the International Bureau of the People’s Law Office and a member of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD). On 30 December 2022, he was added to the list called “list of wanted terrorists” published on the […]
8èmes RENCONTRES AUTOUR DE LA JOURNÉE DE L’AVOCAT MENACÉ
Since 2010, the Day of the Lawyer in Danger is held on the 24th of January in different cities and countries around the world. This date was chosen because on January 24, 1977, five people, including three lawyers, were murdered in an office on Atocha Street in Madrid, where their law firm was located. Each […]
Turkey: Closure case against political party looms
Trial is an assault on political opposition and democratic norms before elections [Istanbul: January 9, 2023] Current efforts to dissolve the second-largest opposition party in Turkey’s parliament ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections are the latest in a deeply problematic practice in Turkey of forcing the closure of political parties, a group of 10 international […]
Le monde entier regarde
Une délégation de plus de 60 observateurs internationaux condamne le jugement de la Cour dans le cadre des poursuites pénales engagées depuis une décennie contre 21 avocats de ÇHD (Progressive Lawyers’ Association) et HHB (People’s Law Office) : La délégation prévient que “le monde entier regarde”. Cette semaine, nous – plus de 60 avocats […]