‘Freedom for Defense Coordination’ by Lawyers, Rights Organizations

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Lawyers and rights organizations have announced the establishment of "Freedom for Defense Coordination" in a joint declaration.

They have requested that all arrested lawyers, especially death fasting lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), be released and conditions for a fair trial be ensured.

The joint declaration has been signed by the Lawyers' Union, Progressive Lawyers Group, the ÇHD, Lawyers for Freedom, Human Rights Association (İHD), Kartal Lawyers Association, Freedom for Lawyers Association and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV).

Demands of lawyers

The joint declaration has referred to death fasting lawyers:

"Lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal have gone on a death fast, requesting right to a fair trial for both themselves and their clients.

"Timtik and Ünsal, along with their colleagues from the Progressive Lawyers Association, have been sentenced to prison as a result of a trial where all fundamental principles of criminal law were trampled upon. Their files are still waiting to be reviewed by the Court of Cassation."

The demands of two lawyers have also been listed as follows:

* Lifting of the ban on the concerts of their client Grup Yorum music band,

* The release of themselves and other arrested lawyers from prison by establishing conditions for a fair trial.

'Dozens of international institutions also made calls'

The joint declaration has briefly added the following:

"We are calling out to the authorities: You are obligated to meet the demands of Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal by both the Constitution and dozens of international human rights convention and protocols that you are a party to.

"We remind you of your duty, which has taken on a greater importance in the pandemic conditions that we go through and pose a grave risk to prisoners' right to life, because it is the primary duty of all states to keep alive.

"Dozens of international institutions, including the United Nations (UN) and Council of Europe (CoE), have made calls to release political convicts and arrestees as well in pandemic conditions.

"Over 50 bar associations and lawyers' organizations from abroad, including the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, have reiterated, in the person of Timtik and Ünal, that arrested lawyers need to be released, reminding you of your responsibilities arising from international conventions. We are reiterating the same responsibility one more time."

About death fasts

Making a statement via the Internet on April 5 Lawyer's Day in Turkey, the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) announced that lawyer Ebru Timtik, an executive of the Association, and lawyer Aytaç Ünsal, a member of the Association, had gone on a death fast in prison.

Arrested lawyers from the ÇHD were on a hunger strike for the right to a fair trial. While Timtik had been on a hunger strike for 94 days when she turned her strike into a death fast, Ünsal was on the 63rd day.

On the other side, Grup Yorum music band members were also on a death fast, with a series of requests, including the release of their arrested members and the lifting of bans on their concerts. Grup Yorum member Helin Bölek lost her life on the 288th day of her death fast on April 3.

Releasing a statement on May 5, Grup Yorum announced that its bass guitarist İbrahim Gökçek ended his death fast on its 323rd day.

Mustafa Koçak, a 28-year-old prisoner on a death fast for his right to a fair trial, also lost his life on the 297th day of his fast on April 24. (AS/SD)