Lawyers protest ‘multiple bar associations’ in İstanbul and İzmir

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While the two articles of the bill foreseeing the establishment of more than one bar association in a city among many other changes in the structure of bars passed the General Assembly of the Parliament yesterday (July 8), lawyers are still protesting the changes to be introduced by the bill.

In İstanbul, lawyers came together in front of the Themis Statue in İstanbul Courthouse and applauded for three minutes in protest. The lawyers frequently chanted the slogans "Defense has not hushed and it will not," "Right, law, justice," "We will win by defending" and "Shoulder to shoulder against fascism." The protest of the lawyers was also supported by citizens.

Lawyers will go from İzmir to Ankara

İzmir Bar Association also made a statement for the press against the bill in front of Bayraklı Courthous. Speaking on behalf of the lawyers, İzmir Bar Vice Chair Özgür Yılmazer said, "Defense cannot be stopped, the defense has never hushed and it will not."

Noting that the legislative proposal aims to silence the bar associations, Yılmazer said, "Because they are afraid of the bars. They fear that the bars tell the truth in the face of the wrong, that they defend the rights and freedoms of all citizens... They are afraid that whenever the government oversteps the line of the law, bar associations will bring it back into line."

Underlining that they will struggle against the law that is attempted to be passed, Yılmazer has also announced that they will set off from İzmir today and go to the capital city of Ankara to support the chairs of bar associations with their watch that they started in the city. (TP/SD)

* News and photos: Daily Evrensel