We, The Arrested Lawyers Initiative, sincerely congratulate your European Lawyers Day, today, 25th October is also the first anniversary of our initiative which was founded to speak up and struggle for the arrested lawyers.
Lawyers are the sine qua non of rule of law and fair, independent, impartial judiciary and also the most important and effective safeguard against torture and ill-treatment.
Between 10 and 19 October, 5 lawyers were sentenced range to 1 and 13 years.
5 lawyers were detained.
As of 19th October 2017, 552 lawyers have been arrested (since 15th July) & 1403 lawyers are under prosecution. So far, 39 lawyers were sentenced to long imprisonment.
On 10th October, former President of Erzurum Bar Association, lawyer Mehmet Guzel who is under arrest since 4th August 2016, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment with charge of to run armed terrorist organisation; along with him, 4 other lawyers… Read More ›
2 lawyers were sentenced to 6 and 9 years imprisonment.
8 lawyers were taken into custody.
Detention warrant was issued for 8 lawyers by Mersin Prosecutorial Office yesterday. Lawyers Ali Bozan, Sebahat Genc, Bedri Kuran, Mehmet Altuntaş, Rıza Oğuz, Özgür Çağlar, Erhan Çiftçiler, Emrullah Şam and Onur Kale who are the members of Mersin and Van Bar Association are the subjects of detention warrant. Thus, number of lawyers subjected criminal prosecution since 15th July 2016 raised to 1398.
Between 25th September and 1st October, 11 lawyers were arrested in Turkey. Worse than that is; 12 lawyers were sentenced to ranging from 3 to 9 years imprisonment with charge on being member of armed terrorist organisation.