39 Bar Associations Denounce Verdict Against ÇHD Lawyers: ‘It is Not a Trial’

* Drawing: Murat Başol

Click to read the article in Turkish

Releasing a joint statement about the verdict given against 18 lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) and People's Law Bureau (HHB), Chair of 39 bar associations* have denounced the verdict and said, "The right to a fair trial and the law on criminal procedure and legislation procedures were violated by the court board for multiple times."

CLICK - 18 Lawyers Sentenced to Prison for 159 Years, 1 Month, 30 Days in Total

In the final hearing of the trial held on March 20, the court board sentenced 18 defendant lawyers to 159 years, 1 month and 30 days in prison in total without hearing their statements of defense.

Here are some of the highlights from the joint statement:

'Judges signing warrants appointed to court board'

'After days-long hearings, it was unanimously ruled that our colleagues shall be released; upon the objection of the Prosecutor's Office, the same court board issued arrest warrants against some of our released colleagues no later than a day. Shortly after this verdict, the places of duty of some members of the court board have been changed.

"In place of the members whose places of duty were changed, the judges who signed the arrest warrants during investigation were appointed.

'Verdicts of conviction announced in empty court hall'

"The court board made an effort to create a judiciary without defense by ordering the defense out of the court hall multiple times during the hearings.

"All requests raised by the defense were rejected by the court on the ground that 'they did not make statement within a reasonable period of time'. It is as if the court board created its own law, it presented a nonexistent concept of 'reasonable time' to the law on criminal procedure.

"And yesterday (March 20), the verdicts of conviction were announced in an empty court hall in the absence of defendants and their defenders. Police summaries were turned into a court verdict and verdicts of conviction have been given against our colleagues."

'Trial that didn't even pretend to be independent'

Stating that "the trial did not event pretend to be independent or impartial", the bar associations have concluded their joint statement in following words:

"Let this go down in history: This is not even a trial, let alone a fair one! In these days when we are in a quest for justice, a verdict has been given against our colleagues with unlawful methods."

* The following Bar Association Chairs have signed the joint declaration: Adana Bar Association Chair Veli Küçük, Ağrı Bar Association Chair Mehmet Salih Aydın, Amasya Bar Association Chair Melik Derindere, Ankara Bar Association Chair R. Erinç Sağkan, Antalya Bar Association Chair Polat Balkan, Artvin Bar Association Chair Ali Uğur Çağal, Aydın Bar Association Chair Gökhan Bozkurt, Balıkesir Bar Association Chair Erol Kayabay, Batman Bar Association Chair Abdülhamit Çakan, Bingöl Bar Association Chair Hanifi Budancamanak, Bolu Bar Association Chair Sabri Hendekçi, Burdur Bar Association Chair Ramazan Gedik, Bursa Bar Association Chair Gürkan Altun, Çanakkale Bar Association Chair Bülent Şarlan, Denizli Bar Association Chair Müjdat İlhan, Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Cihan Aydın, Düzce Bar Association Chair Azade Ay, Eskişehir Bar Association Chair Mustafa Elagöz, Gaziantep Bar Association Chair Bektaş Şarklı, Giresun Bar Association Chair Soner Karademir, Hatay Bar Association Chair Ekrem Dönmez, Isparta Bar Association Chair Ünsal Çankaya, İstanbul Bar Association Chair Mehmet Durakoğlu, İzmir Bar Association Chair Özkan Yücel, Kırklareli Bar Association Chair Turgay Hınız, Kocaeli Bar Association Chair Bahar Gültekin, Manisa Bar Association Chair Ali Arslan, Mersin Bar Association Chair Bilgin Yeşilboğaz, Muğla Bar Association Chair Cumhur Uzun, Muş Bar Association Chair Abdulbaki Çelebi, Ordu Bar Association Chair Haluk Murat Poyraz, Siirt Bar Association Chair Nizam Dilek, Şanlıurfa Bar Association Chair Abdullah Öncel, Şırnak Bar Association Chair Nuşirevan Elçi, Tekirdağ Bar Association Chair Sedat Tekneci, Trabzon Bar Association Chair Sibel Suiçmez, Tunceli Bar Association Chair Kenan Çetin, Van Bar Association Chair Zülküf Uçar, Yalova Bar Association Chair Fedayi Doğruyol.

(AS/SD)