Attorneys Detained While Protesting at Courthouse to See Their Clients

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Police raiding a house in İstanbul’s Sarıgazi district on August 17 at around 12:30 p.m. detained 10 people. Attorneys Oya Aslan and Özgür Yılmaz who cannot hear from those who were detained by force of battery started a sit-in protest at İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. The attorneys have also been taken into custody.

Two other attorneys Günay Dağ, Ezgi Gökten and the intern Ahmet Mandacı who also attended the sit-in protest at İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan were detained as well and delivered to the police station of the court.

According to the information the attorneys provided to bianet, their demands are that their clients be brought to prosecution for testimony and seeing their clients.

“Neither investigation files nor investigation prosecutors are clear. No one except the police know anything”.

Detained Deniz Özçelik, Garip Polat, Özlem Kütük, Hüseyin Kütük, Kübra Sünnetçi, Eda Arı, Erdinç Öksüz, Yurdagül Gümüş,  Selda Bulut and one other who is not identified yet are being kept at İstanbul Security Directorate Anti-Terror Bureau.

The attorneys stated that when they asked why there was such a practice in effect, the justification was “State of Emergency.”

“However, a State of Emergency doesn’t prevent a basic right from being exercised,” stated the attorneys.

As to those who are detained, a Statutory Decree imposing a ban of seeing their attorneys for five days was issued.

The attorneys added that when they talked to the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, they received the response “Such things happen at chaotic times. Don’t worry, your clients will be brought to court in 5-10 days.” (AS/TK)