Death Fasting Lawyers’ Demand for Fair Trial is Legitimate, Say 1,273 Signatories

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1,273 people, including MPs, artists, writers, poets, academics, journalists, lawyers, workers, unionists, and employers, have signed a statement in solidarity and support for arrested lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal, who have been on a death fast, demanding their right to a fair trial.

In the file of the case against 19 lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) and People's Law Bureau (HHB), eight lawyers have been arrested pending trial: Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Bahiç Aşçı, Barkın Timtik, Ebru Timtik, Oya Aslan, Engin Gökoğlu, Aycan Çiçek, Aytaç Ünsal.

Held in Silivri Prison in İstanbul, Ebru Timtik has been on a death fast for 152 days for the right to a fair trial. Arrested in Burhaniye Type T Prison in Balıkesir, Aytaç Ünsal has also been on a death fast for 121 days.

CLICK - Lawyers from 20 Countries Submit 356 Petitions to Request Release of Arrested Lawyers

The 16th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation started examining their case file as of yesterday (June 1).

'They want the public to see their innocence'

The joint statement entitled "The Demand of Fair Trial by the Lawyers on Death Fast Is a Legal, Legitimate Demand" briefly reads as follows:

"We are deeply concerned for the lives of lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal, members of Progressive Lawyers Association and People's Law Office, especially after losing three persons on death fasts.

"These two lawyers on death fast demand fair trial, and the re-consideration of the files of their clients Helin Bölek and İbrahim Gökçek, members of a band of musicians, Grup Yorum, who have already lost their lives in their death fast. They demand a reversal of the unlawful and unfair conviction of their clients, and their acquittal in the conscience of the public.

"Timtik and Ünsal were detained and arrested on September 12, 2017, and they were released by the Court after their first hearing almost a year later, considering the lack of evidence. However, after objection by the prosecutor, they were arrested once again, the Court who decided for their release was unlawfully disbanded, and other judges were appointed in their place.

"They were served jail sentences of over 10 years each. Their defense objected that they were already on trial due to the same allegations by Istanbul 18th Heavy Penal Court, and not under arrest, but the objection was simply ignored. Their right of defense was restricted, none of the evidence was collected, and a verdict was hastily produced based on the testimony by a "hidden witness" who was not even brought to the court, and who was speaking purely under the motivation of clearing their own case. Irregularities in electronic outputs were exposed by expert reports, but the originals or images of the documents were not brought to court in spite of persistent demands by the defence.

"As is seen, the two persons of law are putting their lives on the line as a last resort for their right to fair trial and the right to defense, which are universal principles of law. What they want is the public to see both their and their clients' righteousness and innocence even after their death. This is a situation where people of law raise a cry for justice, in the face of death.

"The right to fair trial and the right to defense are considered inviolable by Turkish laws and by international conventions undersigned by Turkey. They are universal rights that highly concern all individuals in a society.

"We declare that we will keep working for a fair re-trial of the appealed files of Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal, a reassessment of the files of their clients Helin, İbrahim and Mustafa, by independent persons of law trusted by the public, and to share the results with the pubic. We hope they will end their death fast and go back to their struggle for justice in good health." (AS/SD)

* You can reach the full list of signatories here