Eight Lawyers from ÇHD Begin Hunger Strike

Click to read the article in Turkish

Eight lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) have begun a hunger strike in prisons where they are remanded.

Along with Selçuk Kozağaçlı, the chairperson of the association, lawyers Aycan Çiçek, Aytaç Ünsal, Barkın Timtik, Ebru Timtik, Engin Gökoğlu, Ayşegül Çağatay and Oya Aslan have begun the strike, the ÇHD said in a statement.

"Mustafa Koçak and the revolutionary music band Yorum's members İbrahim Gökçek and Helin Bölek are on a death fast aiming to defend acquired rights. We are on a hunger strike to say, 'Our clients' rightful demands are our demands, they should be accepted!'"

Grup Yorum's İbrahim Gökçek began a hunger strike 233 days ago. On the 199th day of his strike, de declared that he was on a death fast. Helin Bölek began a hunger strike 230 days ago and announced that she began a death fast on the 213th day. Both musicians are behind bars.

CLICK - Death Fasting Grup Yorum Member: I Want to Live and Play Guitar

"We want an act of judging where principles that were gained as a result of struggles to be implemented, the requirements of the right to defense and fair trial are fulfilled, the 'crime' is proved based on concrete and scientific evidence," the ÇHD stated.

Saying that trials are not fair "even in appearance", the lawyers called for an end to the practices of the involvement of anonymous witnesses and confessors in trials.

"We are on a hunger strike to say, 'All rights of political prisoners who have been sentenced with these 'so-called' trials, should have their rights returned, and the trials should be abolished with all their consequences!

"We are on a hunger strike to defend human dignity against confinement and torture on ill prisoners."

Eighteen lawyers from the ÇHD were sentenced to a total of 159 years in prison in March 2019. An appeal court upheld the sentences without examining the case files, a bianet report revealed in January. The case is currently at the Court of Cassation. (AS/VK)