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European Lawyers demand: release MUNİP ERMIS immediately!

The European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH) and the European Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL) are gravely concerned about the news that the Vice President of CHD – Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği – (Progressive Lawyers Association), lawyer Münip Ermiş was taken into custody this morning. His house and his office were searched. His is the one of the names in a search warrant,which includes 26 lawyers.

For many years ÇHD is a member organisation of ELDH and AED and we know Mr. Münip Ermiş very well as an admirable lawyer who has defended many victims of human rights violations in Turkey.

This arrest is part of a pattern of terrorist persecutions that the Turkish government is bringing against its citizens- journalists, trade union members, human rights activists, members of parliament, academics and students who are committed to a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question and to freedom of speech.

Since the government started operations under the reason of their fights against the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), it is clear that they are using this as a pretext of oppression of organisations and individuals who have definitely no connection with FETÖ.

ÇHD is an association, which since 1974 has campaigned for the respect and defence of human rights and the defence of oppressed people in Turkey since 1974. ÇHD is an example of the principled and courageous advocacy in Turkey. This is not the first case of government attacks against ÇHD. The trial against 46 other high ranking ÇHD members is pending since 2013. ELDH is utmost concerned that the arrest of lawyer Münip Ermiş is another case against lawyers because they fulfil their professional functions.

ELDH and AED strongly condemn this operation against ÇHD’s Vice president, Münip Ermiş. ELDH and AED demand his immediate release and the end of all unjustified persecution. ELDH and AED demand furthermore that the Turkish government respects the professional work and role of lawyers in particular Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as Art. 16 and 18 of the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. ELDH and AED offer their solidarity to the Turkish lawyers in their fight human rights and justice under the present Turkish regime.

 

London/Dusseldorf/Barcelona, 8th of September 2016

 

 

 

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Update on Trials in Turkey

A colleague in Istanbul, the lawyer Elvan Olkun, has sent us an update of the trials taking place in Turkey at the moment:

1. Trial of the members of  ÖHD (ÖZGÜRLÜKÇÜ HUKUKÇULAR DERNEĞI – ASSOCIATION OF LAWYERS FOR FREEDOM)

12 lawyers, members of ÖHD (Özgürlükçü Hukukçular Derneği – Association of Lawyers for Freedom) are being tried in front of the 14th Penal Court of Istanbul 14th.

Two of the accused lawyers, Ramazan Demir and Ayşe Acinikli are detained since the 6th of April 2016. There also 38 other accused who are not lawyers. The accused lawyers are : Ramazan Demir, Ayşe Acinikli, Hüseyin Boğatekin, İrfan Araslan, Ayşe Gösterişlioğlu, Tamer Doğan, Mustafa Rüzgar, Sinan Zincir, Raziye Turgut, Ruhşen Mahmutoğlu, Şefik Çelik, Adem Çalişci.

They are accused of being members of the terrorist organization and/or making propaganda for a terrorist organization. The lawyers are accused because of the way they have been conducting their profession.

The next hearing will be heard before 14th Istanbul Penal Court on June 22nd, 2016 at 11.00, at Caglayan Courthouse situated in Sisli District of Istanbul.

It will be the first hearing since the prosecutor submitted his indictment. The purpose of the hearing will be to hear the initial defence of the defendants and submission of their representatives and to determine whether to release the detainees or not.

Ayse Acinikli and Ramazan Demir have been shown as nominees for number of international human rights awards. There have been several international campaigns inviting the authorities to release them but unfortunately they are still imprisoned.

demir&ayse

II) The so-called  KCK Lawyers’ trial

This is one of the biggest trials against lawyers: 46 lawyers are being tried. Some of the lawyers had been detained for long time. During the trials detained lawyers have been released.

Lawyers are accused of being members of terrorist organization. The common point amongst these accused lawyers is that they have all been lawyers of Abdullah Öcalan.

The hearing will take place on the 28th of June 2016 in front of the 19th Istanbul Criminal Court.

The prosecutor and the court seem to be willing to come to an end as soon as possible You can find the summary of the indictment and some previous notes on the trial enclosed to this message.

 

III) ÇHD LAWYERS TRIAL

The president of ÇHD, Selçuk Kozağaçlı, as well as other 8 members of the association are on trial. Nine of the accused lawyers had been detained for long time and then released.

The next hearing of this case will take place on the 5th October 2016 in front of the 23rd Istanbul Criminal Court.

The defence argues that the evidence presented is simply illegal and that the accusation is only based on political grounds. The defence asks the court to follow the origins of this illegal evidence and to remove it from the case file. The defence also asks the Court to interrogate all the witnesses itself, and not authorize different local courts to hear the witnesses.

 

These three trials against lawyers are based on political grounds. The accused lawyers are well known for representing the members of oppositional groups, representing the oppressed, women under threat, workers, students etc. Their work as lawyers disturbs the governing authorities.

 

 

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Letters to Turkey

The AED has sent some letters and is now waiting for an answer!

Here is the text of the letter, addressed to the minister of Justice, the President of the Bar association, the ambassador of France in Turkey and the French minister of foreign affairs:

Le 16 mars 2016, à l’aube, neuf avocats turcs ont été interpellés à Istanbul et placés en garde à vue par la police qui a perquisitionné leurs domiciles ou leurs bureaux.

Il s’agit de Ramazan DEMIR, Iffan ARASAN, Ayse ACINIKLI, Hüsein BOGATEKIN, Sefik CELIK, Adem CALISCI, Ayse BASAR, Tamer DOGAN et Mustafa RÜZGAR.

Ces neuf avocats sont tous membres de l’équipe de Défense de 46 autres avocats turcs poursuivis depuis 2012 dans le cadre d’un procès dit KCK2, pour avoir participé à la défense d’un opposant notoire.

Leur interpellation a eu lieu, sans que les motifs en soient connus, la veille de l’audience du procès KCK2 fixée au 17 mars 2016 et à laquelle ils devaient plaider pour leurs confrères.

Leur maintien en garde à vue les a empêchés de remplir leur mission de défense et le procès a dû être renvoyé au 28 juin 2016.

A l’issue du délai de garde à vue et après 13 heures d’interrogatoires et de plaidoiries, ils ont été relâchés le samedi 19 mars, par décision du tribunal mais contre l’avis du Procureur.

Sur appel du Procureur, le 23 mars un autre juge a estimé fondée leur détention provisoire et décerné un mandat d’arrêt contre 4 d’entre eux.

Deux d’entre eux, Hüssein BOGATEKIN et Ayse BASAR ont été immédiatement interpellés et mis en détention.

Ils ont été libérés par la Cour d’Appel le 1er Avril suivant.

Mais le 6 avril, deux autres avocats étaient interpellés et mis en détention : Ramazan DEMIR et Ayse ACINIKLI.

Nous apprenons que leur appel vient d’être rejeté.

Il semble que les principaux griefs invoqués à l’encontre de ces avocats pour justifier ces mesures, soient liés à leur participation à la défense d’opposants notamment de manifestants du parc de GEZI, au dépôt de requêtes auprès de la CEDH, et à la participation à des conférences internationales, ces agissements constituant le dénigrement de l’Etat et la Nation turcs.

Il apparaît donc que ces avocats sont poursuivis, en totale violation des règles et accords internationaux qui régissent la Profession, pour avoir exercé leur mission de défense et leur liberté de parole et qu’ils sont assimilés à leurs clients, ce qui est inacceptable.

Nous vous rappelons que les pouvoirs publics doivent veiller à ce que les avocats ne soient pas assimilés à leurs clients, ou à la cause de leurs clients, du fait de l’exercice de leurs fonctions.

C’est pourquoi nous vous demandons d’intervenir de toute urgence pour que Ramazan DEMIR et Ayse ACINIKLI soient remis immédiatement en liberté et que soit reconnu et protégé, en TURQUIE, le Droit à la Défense pour tous, fondement d’un procès équitable.

Nous vous remercions de votre réponse à notre demande et vous prions d’agréer, Monsieur le Ministre, l’expression de notre respectueuse considération.

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Report: Lawyer’s Delegation to Kurdistan (jan.2016)

From 21 to 24 of January 2016, a delegation of 10 lawyers from Austria, Belgium, Germany and Italy visited Diyarbakır, Turkey. The mission was coordinated by two European lawyers’ organizations—the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) and European Democratic Lawyers (EDL)—and the Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane. It was supported by the ÇHD (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği) (Contemporary) Progressive Lawyers Association.

Here is their account of the situation.

The delegation submits that there is strong evidence that the Turkish authorities who order(ed) and implement(ed) the curfews may have committed offences against humanity pursuant to Article 77 of the Turkish Penal Code.

 

Further, the committed crimes amount to a collective punishment39 against all inhabitants of the areas under curfew and the security zones. Civilians are to be protected under all circumstances.

 

The delegation concludes that further investigations must be conducted to hold those accountable for the crimes committed.

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Turkish Lawyers detained

AED Statement concerning the detention of the lawyers Ramazan Demir, İrfan Arasan, Ayşe Acinikli, Hüseyin Boğatekin, Şefik Çelik, Adem Çalışçı, Ayşe Başar, Tamer Doğan and Mustafa Ruzgar (16th of March 2016, Istanbul) and previously the detention of the “Academics for peace”.

Amongst the different cases related to human rights that AED/EDL (Avocats Européens Démocrates/Europeans Democratic Lawyers) follows, the situation in Turkey appears to be especially worrisome.

In the early morning of 16th of March 2016, the police broke into the private homes of several lawyers/attorneys in Istanbul. 8 of them, members of the ÖHD (Özgürlükçü Hukukçular Derneği – Association of Lawyers for Freedom), and one of them, also member of ÇHD (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği – Progressive Lawyers Association) have been arrested on charges of terrorism: Ramazan Demir, İrfan Arasan, Ayşe Acinikli, Hüseyin Boğatekin, Şefik Çelik, Adem Çalışçı, Ayşe Başar, Tamer Doğan were taken into custody. Later, yet another lawyer was arrested: Mustafa Rüzgar.

Now, our colleagues are released and free. This is good news, although the judge issued for some of the lawyers a ban on leaving the country.

According to the information we have, there is no justification for these arrests and searches. The lawyers are accused of “working for, or belonging to a terrorist organisation.” Everything indicates that the accusations are based on their professional activities.

Neither the police officers nor the prosecutor have provided information on the grounds of the prosecution and the arrests. Lawyers have been arrested without any indictment and without access to any information concerning their arrest.

Currently, as the EU is negotiating with Turkey a common future policy, this constitutes yet another reason to refuse any attack by the Turkish State against Human Rights defenders, against lawyers, against academics, politicians and citizens who are defending a democratic change for Turkey and for Kurdistan. Anyone working for peace must not and cannot be considered a terrorist and/or member of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) because this means that for the Turkish State the only logic is repression. With such actions Turkey does not comply with the minimum standards of democracy and human rights needed to be a member of the UE.

Moreover, the latest news tell us that last week, and within only 3 days, at least 320 citizens were arrested and accused of being member of, or providing support to the PKK. This wave of arrests of journalists, academics and lawyers for Human Rights must stop.

We consider that all these facts constitute an attack on the people and an attempt to silence the opposition in Turkey. The “Academics for Peace” who signed a petition against the government criticizing the military aggressions of many Kurdish cities, have been arrested, in some cases dismissed, and in many cases punished with disciplinary measures. 3 Academics: Esra Mungan, Kıvanç Ersoy and Muzaffer Kaya were imprisoned.

For these reasons, we urge the Turkish government to:

I.- Respect the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, 1990, namely:

– to permit lawyers to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference.

– to permit lawyers to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad.

– and to ensure that lawyers shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics.

II.- Ensure the respect of the guarantees set out in Art 6, ECHR: a fair hearing, an independent and impartial tribunal established by law and the right to be presumed innocent, to be informed promptly of the nature and cause of the accusation; and to have adequate time and the facilities for the preparation of the defence.

III.- Guarantee the separation of powers: the one element that creates most discussion and complaints is the way that in this type of cases, the members of the Court are elected by the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) dominated by the executive power. This makes impossible the independence of justice and coerces the judges and prosecutors in their work because they are subjected to the political decisions of the Ministry of Justice.

IV.- Ensure the real exercise of the freedom of expression, information and ideological freedom, that are not respected at the present time.

For the above mentioned reasons, we are going to bring these cases to the European Institutions and the European Parliament. We believe that this situation does not ensure the exercise of fundamental and civil rights as contained in the treaties signed by the Republic of Turkey. We believe that currently Turkey cannot become a member of the EU without deep democratic reforms.

Créteil, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Milano, Istanbul, Bilbo, Brussels, Berlin,

20th of March 2016,

Please download our press statement in English , French or Spanish and make it turn!

 

 

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European Lawyers Delegation visits Diyarbakir

A delegation of European lawyers will visit Diyarbakir from 21st to 24th January 2016. The 13 participants come from Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Austria. Two European lawyers’ organisations are supporting this initiative, the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) and the European Democratic Lawyers (EDL) and also the “Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane”

ELDH and EDL are gravely concerned about the deterioration of human rights in the region which has escalated since the Turkish government stopped the peace negotiations with the Kurdish Workers Party PKK. For many weeks now a curfew has been imposed upon several towns in the region of Diyarbakir and Şırnak and upon a great part of the centre of Diyarbakir. The Turkish government boasts that it has killed several hundred PKK fighters. It fails to mention the civilians who have also died, in particular due to the use of heavy weapons by the Turkish army inside densely populated areas of several towns. On 28th November 2015 the President of the Diyarbakir Bar Association was killed on the street when he gave a press conference asking for a peaceful solution of the conflict. In press releases ELDH and EDL condemned the murder of Tahir Elçi and demanded an international independent investigation into the circumstances.

The former judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Riza Türmen, who is now a CHP Member of Parliament, stated that the long-term military curfew constitutes a violation of state responsibility. Several victims of the curfew have complained to the ECtHR demanding an end to the military operations and the lifting of the curfew. Nevertheless the court ruled on 13th January 2016 that the evidence at its disposal was not sufficient for it to order interim measures. However the court asked the applicants to keep it informed of any further developments. Lastly, given the gravity of the situation, the Court indicated to the Government “to take any necessary steps to ensure that physically vulnerable individuals can have access to treatment if they so request”.

The European lawyers visiting Diyarbakir are going to investigate

  • the dimension and the character of the human rights violations
  • civilian casualties
  • the curfew, the number of concerned people, the impact of the curfew on the populations andif the government meets the demands of the ECtHRThe members of the delegation will talk to representatives of HDP, the Diyarbakir Bar Association, the Diyarbakir Chamber of Medicine, the Human Rights Association of Diyarbakir, a women’s association, the family of Tahir Elçi, the families of victims. They will also talk to a lawyer who represents victims of the curfew in Diyarbakir before the European Court of Human Rights.

    After their visit the lawyers will publish a report.

Download the press release.

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On the Death of Tahir Elçi

La mort de Tahir Elçi, un éminent avocat et Bâtonnier du conseil de l’ordre de Diyarbaquir en des circonstances dramatiques au District Sud d’Amed (Diyarbakir), abattu à coups de feu en pleine rue pendant une conférence de presse, constitue un assassinat politique et crime contre les Droits Humains.

Les Avocats Européens Démocrates (AED – EDL) entendent exprimer leur solidarité avec sa famille, ses amis, les militants des Droits Humains, les avocats et avocates et tous les citoyens turcs et kurdes qui ont soutenu sa lutte en Turquie contre la tyrannie et la terreur de l’État dirigée à anéantir les dissidents et des secteurs très amples de la société.

La longue trajectoire du bâtonnier de Diyarbaquir pour la défense de la paix et les Droits Humains fait de ce crime un crime contre tous les défenseurs des Droits Humains et contre les avocats et avocates engagés dans la lutte pour la défense des droits humains universels (sans distinction d’appartenance à un groupe social ou national quelconque).

Ces derniers temps nous avons vécu un dernier incident lorsque, faisant usage de son Droit à la Liberté d’expression reconnu par la Constitution Turque, Tahir Elçi avait manifesté publiquement (CNN TÜRK) son opinion politique à l’égard du conflit de l’Etat Turc avec le peuple Kurde et avait été placé en détention près le 2n Juge Pénal de la Paix de Bakirköy, accusé injustement de disséminer la propagande au nom d’une organisation terroriste (article 7/2 de la Loi Antiterroriste). L’ordre de détention d’Elçi a représenté une autre attaque acharnée en Turquie contre les Droit Humains et une nouvelle démonstration d’intimidation et de force des Tribunaux (non indépendants ) soumis et contrôlés par le pouvoir exécutif Turc. Malgré cela il a continué à lutter pour les Droits humains. Finalement il a été tué.

Schermata 2015-12-03 alle 11.27.24

La mort de notre confrère Tahir ne peut pas rester impunie.

C‘est pour cela que :

Les avocats européens démocrates demandent à tous les avocats et avocates qu’ils rendent un hommage spécial à la figure de Tahir Elçi le 23 janvier 2016, prochain jour de l’avocat menacé.

Les avocats européens démocrates exigent du Conseil des Ministres de l’Union Européenne et du Parlement Européen qu’ils s’adressent à l’État Turc à fin qu’il mette en place un système de contrôle du respect des Droits Humains pour éviter l’impunité des coupables des crimes contre l’Humanité qui se produisent continuellement en Turquie et au Kurdistan. A défaut, un soupçon de connivence avec tous ces crimes tombera à nouveau sur l’Etat Turc et son Gouvernement.

Le principe démocratique, qui est dans l’esprit de création de l’UE, lui impose la condamnation de tous les crimes commis par l’Etat Turc et les forces parapolicières et paramilitaires en Turquie et aussi l’oblige à dénoncer la guerre totale de cet État contre la liberté et les Droits Humains, en utilisant la répression contre le peuple, contre les mass media, la terreur et le meurtre brutal.

Les Avocats Européen démocrates condamnent ce terrible crime et exigent du Gouvernement Turc l’ouverture d’une enquête indépendante pour trouver les responsables directs et indirects.

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We are close to the victims of Ankara

The EDL, the association of European Democratic Lawyers, is close to the Turkish and Kurdish people hardly hit by the attack carried out in Ankara on October 10th during a peaceful demonstration organized by non-governmental organizations, trade unions and the HDP, the Party, which won in June together with the coalition of Kurdish party and other leftist parties 84 seats in the Turkish Parliament.

We express our solidarity with the victims and condemn this monstrous attack, which, through two explosions close together, hit the big peace rally and killed about 100 people.

The attack can be added to the attacks in Diyarbakir last June and in Suruc in July, definitely executed by the same hand and aiming at terrorizing those who are leading the battle for peace and self-determination of the Kurdish people. This brings us back to the memory of the dark years that we have lived in our country with the strategy of tension and the manoeuvres inspired by authoritarian environments related to political alliances with anti-communism the most reactionary sectors of the security forces.

This massacre is part of an effort to prevent the realization of freedom and democracy in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, in the line of fire of colonialist and imperialist aims and the cruel and murderous ravings of so-called Islamic state.

We want to show our closeness and solidarity through militant solidarity, which in our case has been expressed itself in defense in court of Kurdish militants unjustly accused of terrorism, as well as in the presence of lawyers and jurists in the regions of Kurdistan most affected by violence of the Islamic state, Daesh, and the presence of international observers, including lawyers who are part of our association during the upcoming elections in Turkey .

We are particularly close to our brothers and colleagues of ÇAĞDAŞ HUKUKÇULAR DERNEĞI (ÇHD- PROGRESSIVE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION – TURKEY), who have been hardly by the repression of the Turkish regime and we are confident that the murderous violence of the bombs will not stop the struggle for democracy .