In response to a parliamentary question of Mr Sezgin Tanrikulu, the Turkish Ministry of Justice announced the number of lawyers held in prison by years. According to the Ministry of Justice the number of lawyers remanded in pretrial detention by years as following: 354, 487, 169 and 143, respectively in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
As of 5th September, 2019, the SDIF controls and manages 998 seized companies, and also the assets of 113 real persons. As announced on the web site of the SDIF, the total worth of the seized companies is 58.94 billion Turkish liras (appx. 10 Billion USD).
Özgür Kaya, Erkan Irmak, Yasin Ugan and Salim Zeybek who had been missing since February 2019, unexpectedly turned out in police custody on 29th of July.
Despite Ankara Provincial Security Directorate (Police) claims that the persons in question were detained in front of Ankara Police HQ during a routine police control, experts who have been closely following their disappearance believe that the detention of the victims has been staged so as to disguise Turkish Intel’s involvement in their disappearence.
The Arrested Lawyers Initiative updated its new report entitled “Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | Unjust Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018).”
According to the report, 1546 Turkish lawyers have been prosecuted and 594 lawyers have been arrested since 2016 July. And so far, 216 Turkish lawyers have been sentenced to 1361 years in prison by the first instance courts under article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code.
Three international law associations made a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and urge the UN to enter into urgent dialogue with the Turkish government with a view to ending the persecution and prosecution… Read More ›
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.