Trabzon High Penal Court sentenced four lawyers including the former president of Trabzon Bar Association under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code which stipulates membership to an armed organisation.

Lawyer Orhan Ongoz President of Trabzon Bar Association (2014-2016)

Lawyers Orhan Ongoz, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Selman Bitiş, Mustafa Öngün who were detained on 27 September, 2016, were convicted after two and half year trial. The Court sentenced Mr Orhan Ongoz to six years and three months in trial. Other lawyers, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Selman Bitiş, Mustafa Öngün were sentenced one year, six months and twenty-two days in prison

Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code criminalises the establishment and/or commanding an armed terrorist organisation, and the subsection 2 (Article 314/2) [2]  criminalises the membership to an armed organisation. Under the Turkish Penal Code, these two offences carry the penalty of 7.5 to 22.5 years imprisonment.

Since, the July of 2016, 294 Turkish lawyers were sentenced under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code. Hundreds more are still on trial with same accusation.

Categories: Unjust / Wrongful Convictions