Selçuk Kozağaçlı Objects to Prison Sentence of 11 Years, 3 Months

* Drawing: Murat Başol

Click to read the article in Turkish

Lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı, the Chair of Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), who was previously sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison by the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court, has submitted a petition of appeal and objected to his prison sentence.

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In the petition addressed to the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice, Kozağaçlı has stated, "I object to the verdict. I know that there are numerous reasons as well as their justifications to reverse this so-called legal judgement. Since you do not allow me to take a look at the case file, I hope that you will find these reasons and their justifications for me, too."

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Kozağaçlı is currently held in Silivri Prison in İstanbul.

The eleventh reason

In his petition of appeal, which is dated April 22 and shared on his Twitter account, Kozağaçlı has stated that his lawyers will offer at least 10 strong reasons to reverse the judgement in question.

"Then, it is for me to provide the 11th reason," Kozağaçlı has continued and concluded his petition by sharing the following poem, the Eleventh Reason, by lawyer and poet Martin Espada:

"Those are ten reasons, the judge says.
I need eleven. Give me one more.

My face is stinging. I glance down at the table.
I have no files, no folders,
no yellow legal pads, no notes.
Espionage, electrocution, these are not my areas
of expertise. I am a tenant lawyer.
I am not prepared to discuss
the eleventh reason.
I request a continuance.
I promise a memorandum of law
on the eleventh reason.
The judge says no, and smiles.

(...)

They wanted eleven reasons, I tell you.
I know that, you say, I've known for forty-five years.
Executioners know that the hands have ten fingers.
So they ask for eleven.

Then all of us are killed, I say.
Not yet, you say, squinting past me
at the bailiff shutting the courtroom doors.
Not yet."

(AS/SD)