Turkish Government posed to intervene into elections of Bar Associations. The Government’s purpose is to diminish the influence of the Bar Associations of Turkey’s large cities, which are sensitive about the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, women’s rights and human rights violations. Bar Associations, such as Ankara, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Antalya and Izmir, are also very sensitive to torture and enforced disappearance complaints, and have published several reports documenting such incidents, which has disturbed the Government.
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Bar Associations of Ankara and Diyarbakir are under investigation for their statements denouncing Turkey’s top mufti
Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an ex officio investigation against the Ankara Bar Association because of its statement denouncing Turkey’s top mufti Ali Erbaş who, during his Friday sermon on April 24, alleged that LGBT people were the source for evil and epidemic.