Bar Association Chairs: Do You Know How Lawyers Sentenced to 159 Years in Prison?

* Drawing: Murat Başol

Click to read the article in Turkish

The chairs of İstanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakır, İzmir, Bursa, Antalya, Adana, Mersin, Van, Urfa, Antep, Hatay, Denizli, Mardin, Artvin, Aydın bar associations have shared a video entitled "Do you know" and questioned how 18 lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) have been sentenced to 159 years, 1 month, 30 days in prison in total.

The video features the unlawful acts in the lawsuit:

pic.twitter.com/bxRefLYHQ1

— Av. Mehmet Durakoğlu (@DURAKOGLU2016) April 6, 2020

'We know and cannot explain it with the law'

Bar association chairs have shared their video on Twitter under the hashtag #TürkiyedeAvukatOlmak, which means "being a lawyer in Turkey."

The bar association chairs have shared the following messages:

• "Did you know? If you don't know and ask 'How on earth can something like that happen?', no law book writes the answer." (Ankara Bar Association Chair Erinç Sağkan)
• "Did you know that the court board which ruled for the release of our colleagues was dissolved at the same night and the ones who presided the investigation process were appointed in their place?" (İzmir Bar Association Chair Özkan Yücel)
• "In that 'trial', we witnessed everything that should not have happened in a fair trial." (Diyarbakır Bar Chair Cihan Aydın)
• "Do you know? We do and cannot explain it with the law!" (Antalya Bar Association Chair Polat Balkan)
• "DO YOU KNOW how 18 lawyers of the people have been sentenced to 159 years in prison in an unfair and unlawful trial?" (Adana Bar Association Chair Veli Küçük)
• "It is indeed a hard job to be a lawyer in Turkey." (Mersin Bar Association Chair Bilgin Yeşilboğaz)
• "DO YOU KNOW how 18 lawyers from the ÇHD have been sentenced to 159 years in prison?" (Van Bar Association Chair Zülküf Uçar)
• "It is hard to be a lawyer in Turkey, it is a bed of nails. While the law doesn't operate for some, it operates quite hurtful for others." (Hatay Bar Association Chair Ekrem Dönmez)
• "DO YOU KNOW how 18 lawyers have been sentenced to 159 years in prison in a trial held in an unlawful manner?" (Mardin Bar Association Chair İsmail Elik)
• "Do you know what it is like to be a lawyer? If you don't, please watch; it is all 48 seconds." (Aydın Bar Association Chair Gökhan Bozkurt)

What happened?

Announcing its verdict in the lawsuit filed against 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.

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

CLICK - Judge First Upheld the Sentence, Then Examined the File

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation expressed opinion that the prison sentences of all lawyers, except for the one given to lawyer Barkın Timtik, be upheld.

The letter of notification only indicated that the prison sentence of 18 years, 9 months given to Barkın Timtik for "establishing and leading an organization" as per the Article 314/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) should be overturned and he should also be penalized for "membership of an organization" like other lawyers.

The letter of notification issued by the prosecutor's office has been sent to the 16th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.

Lawyer Ebru Timtik, an executive of the ÇHD, and lawyer Aytaç Ünsal, a member of the ÇHD, have gone on a death fast for the right to a fair trial. (AS/SD)