Attorneys Working on Soma Case Detained in Police Raid

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Police raided the apartments and offices of attorneys from Progressive Legists' Association (ÇHD) İzmir Branch this morning (October 26). Six lawyers have been taken into custody, detention order has been issued for one other.

ÇHD İstanbul Branch Chief attorney Gökmen Yeşil speaking to bianet said, that the searches and raids continued as of 11.50 a.m. and told that the attorneys are being charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" due to their posts on social media.

Six lawyers have been taken into custody, namely Nergiz Tuba Aslan, Şule Arslan Hızal, Yemen Cankan, Emel Diril, Dinçer Çalım, Bahattin Özdemir.

Detention order has been issued for attorney and Alihan Pilaf.

"Sealing order on case"

In accordance with the decision of İzmir 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, there is a sealing order on the case.

An expression in the court order reads "with regards to the propaganda for the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist (TKEP/L) as explained in detail through solid evidence such as internet reports, examination reports correspondence of official units..."

Attorneys were working on Soma Case

Attorney Yeşil has pointed out that the attorneys whose houses and offices were raided, had been closely following the soma trial regarding the occupational homicide in Soma mine, where 301 miners had lost their lives in 2014.

"In the last hearing, the board of judges was replaced and a suspect was released. ÇHD attorneys had filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor, who demanded the release and had also demanded recusation of the board of judges two days ago".

CLICK - Judge Replaced Ahead of Summary Judgement in Soma Trial

ÇHD İzmir Branch posted on its official Twitter account:

"The houses and offices of our lawyer friends in İzmir was raided this morning. We repeat, we are the attorneys of Nuriye and Semih [Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, discharged in statutory decrees and on hunger strike to be reinstated to their jobs], we are the attorneys of all the poor".

The association shut down, 17 attorneys arrested

Progressive Legists' Association (ÇHD) was closed through the Statutory Decree No. 677 dated November 22, 2016, along with 375 associations and nine media outlets.

CLICK - 375 Associations, 9 Media Outlets Closed, 15,726 Public Officials Discharged

In addition, 14 attorneys from the association were taken into custody on September 12, 2017, two days before the next hearing of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça.

CLICK - 14 Detained Attorneys of Gülmen, Özakça on Hunger Strike Arrested

Attorneys Didem Baydar, Şükriye Erden, Ayşegül Çağatay, Ebru Timtik, Aytaç Ünsal, Zehra Özdemir, Yağmur Ereren, Engin Gökoğlu, Süleyman Gökten, Aycan Çiçek, Naciye Demir, Behiç Aşçı, Barkın Timtik and Özgür Yılmaz have been behind bars since September 21, 2017.

Earlier, attorneys Özlem Gümüştaş and Sezin Uçar from Law Office of the Oppressed were detained on October 26, ahead of the next hearing of Suruç trial, regarding the suicide attack killing 33 people in Suruç, Urfa in 2015, where activists, who gathered to deliver toys and humanitarian aid to Kobanê and were issuing a statement for the press, were targeted. (AS/DG)