Police blockade on bar association chairs keeping watch in Ankara

* Photo: Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish

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

After a call was made with the slogan "Defense to Ankara" against the bill, first, bar association chairs came to the capital city. They have announced that they will keep watch there until the bill passes the Parliament.

After the bar chairs started keeping watch at Kuğulu Park, the police have surrounded the park, saying that "it is the decision of the Governor's Office."

Setting up barricades around the park, the police have not allowed anyone to enter, expect for the bar association chairs. Both the lawyers and journalists have been prevented from approaching the bar chairs.

* Photo: Mersin Bar Association - Twitter

Forming a separate place for journalists with barricades, the officers have allowed only the journalists with turquoise press cards to enter.

CLICK - Lawyers protest 'multiple bars' in İstanbul and İzmir

'We will be on the watch in Ankara'

The chairs of bar associations have released the following statement to invite lawyers to the capital city against the bill:

"Despite the joint objection of 80 bar associations, the bill foreseeing amendments to the Attorneys' Act was approved by the Justice Committee, referred to the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and has started to be debated.

"We, the chairs of bar associations, will be on the watch in Ankara for the duration when the bill is being debated at the Parliament so that we can raise our voices and objections against it.

"We invite you, our fellow colleagues, to Ankara to join voices and forces and to stand with us until the Parliamentary debates come to an end."

About the bill

Foreseeing the establishment of more than one bar association in a city, the Bill on Amendments to the Attorneys' Act and Some Laws was submitted to the Parliamentary Speaker's Office on June 30.

According to the bill jointly prepared by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MPs, lawyers can register in any bar association if there are more than one bar association in the city. The bill foresees that a bar association will be established by a minimum of 2,000 lawyers if there are over 5,000 lawyers in a city.

According to the figures of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), while 17,598 lawyers are registered in Ankara Bar Association, 46,052 lawyers are registered in İstanbul Bar and 9,612 lawyers in İzmir. The total number of registered lawyers across the country is 127,691.

That being the case, the bill "to split bar associations" is likely to affect these three bars with over 5,000 lawyers.

Cutting the number of delegates from large bars representing thousands of lawyers to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), the bill is also criticized for reducing the influence of large bar associations in electing the TTB's president and participating in other decision-making functions.

As pointed out by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on July 8, "A provincial bar with fewer than 100 lawyers, such as Ardahan in northeastern Turkey, for example, would be represented by 4 delegates, compared with 3 at present. But a bar such as Izmir in western Turkey, with over 9,500 lawyers, which sends 35 delegates, would be entitled to only 5."

Accordingly, the İstanbul, Ankara, and Izmir Bar, Associations which represent 55 percent of the lawyers in Turkey, will be entitled to only 7 percent of all delegates within the national union.

The bill was approved by the Parliamentary Justice Commission on July 6. It is now being debated at the General Assembly. Two articles of the bill has been approved by the Parliament as of July 9. (TP/SD)