CHP’s Çakırözer visits Osman Kavala, Ebru Timtik in prison

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Republican People's Party (CHP) Eskişehir MP Utku Çakırözer paid a visit to Silivri Prison at the outskirts of İstanbul and met arrested businessperson and rights defender Osman Kavala and lawyer Ebru Timtik.

While today (July 27) marks the 1,000 day of Kavala's imprisonment, Timtik has been on a death fast for her right to a fair trial for 207 days.

Sending a message via Çakırözer, Osman Kavala said, "I have been here for 1,000 days. None of the three investigations that were filed against me legally suffice to keep me behind bars. There is an attempt to keep me arrested based on a chain of investigations."

CLICK - 'My arrest is a fantastic fiction'

"Journalists, politicians, intellectuals are behind bars," said Kavala and added, "What is the saddest of all is that there has been no sign of an improvement in terms of injustice and unlawfulness since I entered prison."

Noting that there has never been such wide-scale interference in the judiciary since the September 12 military coup in 1980, Kavala added:

"In defining the politics' interference in the judiciary, if we call what the FETÖ members did as 'opening a stabilized way,' what is done now has become a 'highway'! The fact that unlawfulness is still ongoing and it has become more widespread despite the judicial reform is disheartening for Turkey's future.

"They force me, journalists and politicians to stay behind bars based on groundless files lacking documents. When I solely look at my own judicial process, it is very sad that the quality of the judiciary has worsened to such a degree in the country. When a ruling of acquittal and release was given in the first file, they have created a third file to circumvent the ECtHR ruling of right violation and to avoid doing the necessary.

"There is no indictment, either. I am charged with espionage. But, for this, I must have obtained and passed information. But there is no information or document. There is no passing of information or documents, either. It is a file created for the sole purpose of keeping me behind bars."

'Unlawful process of arrest must end'

Commenting on the judicial process of Kavala, CHP MP Çakırözer has referred to his continued arrest despite an ECtHR verdict as unacceptable:

"These unjust, unlawful processes of arrest do not suit Turkey. It show how much our country has drifted apart from democracy.

"Osman Kavala is still held behind bars despite one ruling of acquittal and two rulings of release. This unlawfulness should have been ended without feeling the need for an ECtHR ruling. This process of arrest continuing despite the facts, conscience and the law should come to an end now. Osman Kavala should be free without delay of even a single second."

'Death-fasting lawyer has dropped to 35 kilos'

Çakırözer also met arrested lawyer Ebru Timtik, who is on a death fast for her right to a fair trial. He has said that her health condition is concerning.

CLICK - 'Court of Cassation seems to be waiting for their death to announce its ruling'

Çakırözer has said, "Before she entered prison, lawyer Ebru Timtik weighed 90 kilos, she has now dropped to 35 kilos. The way things stand, it will be more life-threatening for her. Her condition is really concerning.

"I told her that 'she had to abandon death fast and struggle by living.' She answered that in the ÇHD case where they were put on trial, they were not fairly tried and their only demand was 'to be tried fairly.' The Ministry of Justice has to immediately establish a dialogue with Ebru Timtik, whose condition is getting more and more threatening with each passing day."

'They have arrested my aunt supporting me'

Ebru Timtik said the following to Çakırözer:

"Socially speaking, most of our expectations have been met. We have received support from our colleagues, from bar associations. International legal organizations have expressed solidarity. Now, there is only the answer to the given by the Court of Cassation to our request for fair trial.

"Everyone knows the violations of rights committed in our hearings. We were not allowed to use even our right of defense. I believe that the Court of Cassation will see this and reverse the file on procedural grounds. I will end the death fast if the Court of Cassations reverses this unjust verdict."

Timtik also said that she was imprisoned with Barkın Timtik, also a lawyer like herself, and her maternal aunt Sultan Kaya:

"They arrested my aunt because she wanted to open a banner in the vicinity of President Erdoğan's house to voice my demands. She has been staying with me for 22 days now. Her only crime is wanting to keep me alive and expressing my demands. This injustice against her must also end as soon as possible." (HA/SD)