Reports

Erdogan gets infinite authority over the national and provincial bar associations

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Presidential Decree No:5 of which name is Presidential Decree as to the State Inspection Institution regulates (article 1) that Turkish Presidency has authority to inspect Bar Associations, Professional Organizations, Trade Unions, Chambers of Commerce, Employer and Employee Unions, Association and Foundations. Moreover, any senior inspector of the D.D.K. would be able to suspend the chairperson, and the board members of the aforementioned entities should the inspector decides that it is necessary for the soundness of the inspection or the public weal.

Abuse of the Anti-Terrorism laws by Turkey is steadily increasing

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According to our survey there is a steady increase in the use of anti-terrorism law on individuals by public prosecutors. So, while 8,324 people were indicted under Article 314 of the TPC in 2013, 146,718 people were indicted under the same article in 2017. Statistics highlight that Turkey has indicted 221,366 people with the charges of being member or leader of an armed terrorist organization within last five years.

Statistics also indicate that, in 2017, Turkish prosecutors have opened investigations against 527.154 individuals on suspicion of the crimes against the Constitutional order.

Report: ‘Defence for Defenders’

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The Open Dialog Foundation published a report that examines cases of harassment and attacks on lawyers and attorneys.
In the report entitled ‘Defence for Defenders’, cases of lawyers Fevzi Kayacan, Cemalettin Ozer and Mehmet Guzel who are former presidents of Konya, Erzincan and Erzurum Bar Associations were presented. Data and reports that compiled and published by The Arrested Lawyers Initiative quoted in the report.

Six Bar Associations and human rights groups reported persecution of Turkish lawyers at UN Human Rights Council

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The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Bar Human Rights Committee, the Union Internationale des Avocats, Lawyers for Lawyers, and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada made a joint oral statement regarding persecution of Turkish lawyers at United Nations 38th Human Rights Council after Diego García-Sayán presented -UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers- his annual report.

Factsheet: Challenges to the Independence of the Legal Profession under the State of Emergency in Turkey

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The fact sheet entitled “Challenges to the Independence of the Legal Profession under the State of Emergency in Turkey” was prepared by a delegation of six Turkish lawyers including four The Arrested Lawyers Initiative members, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, and The Law Society of England and Wales.

State of Emergency: Insecure property rights threaten Turkish economy

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According to official statements by the SDIF and minister Mr. Ozhaseki, the total value of assets confiscated by the Turkish Government is 65 billion Turkish liras (12 billion Euros). The figure does not include value of the seized assets of 127 persons, the dissolved entities’ confiscated chattels. It can increase up to 100 billion Turkish liras if those asset values are included.

Report: Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | En Masse Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018)

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The Arrested Lawyers Initiative published a new report entitled  “Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | En Masse Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018).”  According to the report, 1539 Turkish lawyers have been prosecuted and 580 lawyers have been arrested since 2016 July. And so far, 103 Turkish lawyers have been sentenced to long imprisonment by the first instance courts under article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code.