Belgian lawyers express support for their death fasting arrested colleagues in Turkey

* Photo: Euronews Turkish

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In Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, a group of Belgian lawyers came together in front of Turkey's Embassy yesterday (August 24) and staged a protest for arrested lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal, who are currently hospitalized and have been on a death fast for their right to a fair trial.

Following the case files of arrested lawyers, around 10 Belgian lawyers have announced that they have gone on a hunger strike.

Lawyer Sibylle Gioe from Liege Bar Association, who also followed the hearings in Turkey, has spoken to Euronews Turkish:

"Today, 10 lawyers have been on a hunger strike. We have decided to support Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal in this way. Ebru and Aytaç have been on a hunger strike because they are mistreated by the regime, the hearings are not fair, they have been imprisoned with grave charges and all they want is fair trial. Their lives are at risk. We want to warn both our own government and NGOs and the government of Turkey."

Among the organizers of the protest is also the Avocats.be institution, which represents 8 thousand lawyers in the Francophone and German parts of Belgium. Speaking to Euronews, Avocats.be Chair Xavier Van Gils has said:

"No matter in which part of the world something closely concerning lawyers happens, we feel the need to come together in solidarity. What happened in Turkey shows how important the role of lawyers is in democracies.

"Today, in Turkey, lawyers are not given the opportunity to express themselves, they cannot do their job and they cannot defend people for solely political reasons. If a state does not accept the existence of lawyers, if there is no independent justice, it means that the state has drifted off course and is heading towards authoritarianism.

"We want to raise our voices for this reason. The hunger striking lawyers in question are in a critical condition. The situation is really hard."

Andy Vermut from the International Alliance for Rights and Freedom also said, "We, as a people, defend basic rights and freedoms. We demand that the related lawyers be released immediately. Why does Europe stay silent? Erdoğan has declared all dissidents terrorists. Europe and Turkey should work hand in hand for an independent state of law."

What happened?

Announcing its verdict in the lawsuit filed against the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) lawyers on March 20, the court ruled that the lawyers should be sentenced to 3 years, 1 month, 15 days to 18 years, 9 months in prison. Among them were also Aytaç Ünsal and Ebru Timtik.

The 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice rejected the objections and sent the file to the Court of Cassation.

On a death fast in prison for their right to a fair trial, arrested lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal were not released despite a Forensic Medical report indicating that "they were not in a state to stay in prison." Shortly afterwards, they were taken to two separate hospitals on July 30.

An application was made to the Constitutional Court for arrested lawyers Timtik and Ünsal on August 10, 2020.

The application to the supreme court noted that "while they should have been released based on the reports prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institution, they were unjustly and unlawfully arrested and their health conditions were deteriorating in hospital conditions where they were held."

Within this context, the attorneys of Ünsal and Timtik requested that the Constitutional Court write an official letter to the local court, ordering the release of arrested lawyers as a precaution.

Rejecting death fasting lawyers' request for release, the Constitutional Court neither examined the medical reports nor their statements on not being treated at hospital. "There is no serious danger posed to their material or immaterial integrity," it has concluded.

On a death fast for 236 days as of today (August 25), Ebru Timtik is currently held in Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital in İstanbul. On a death fast for 203 days, Aytaç Ünsal is in Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital, which is also in İstanbul.

Both hospitals are pandemic hospitals. (AS/SD)