Criminal complaint against Minister Soylu ‘for Ebru Timtik’

* Photo: ÇHD İstanbul Branch

Click to read the article in Turkish

Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) İstanbul Branch has filed a criminal complaint against the public officials who had responsibility for the death of arrested lawyer Ebru Timtik on a death fast for fair trial.

After submitting their petition to the prosecutor's office, lawyers from the ÇHD İstanbul Branch made a press statement in front of the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan yesterday afternoon (November 26).

Lawyer Ebru Timtik had been on a death fast for her right to a fair trial when she lost her life on August 27, 2020.

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After 18 lawyers from the ÇHD and People's Law Bureau (HHB) were sentenced to over 159 years in prison, the file was sent to the Court of Cassation. As the verdict of the local court was mostly upheld by the Court of Cassation, it has been taken to the Constitutional Court.

Chief physician's offices, health director

Against this backdrop, the statement of the ÇHD lawyers has stressed that prison sentences were handed down in an unlawful manner:

"The evidence brought against our colleagues consisted solely of anonymous witness statements. Ebru Timtik called on these anonymous witnesses as follows: 'I risk my life, a person risks her life only for the truth. Are you telling the truth or am I?'

"Just as she did not remain indifferent to injustice all through her life, she was not indifferent to the injustice inflicted upon her, either. On April 5 Attorneys' Day, she went on a death fast together with our colleague Lawyer Aytaç Ünsal, with whom she was put on trial as part of the same file.

"It is confirmed by both our observations as the witnesses to this process and the reports of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) that every day when Ebru and Aytaç were forced to stay in hospital passed under torture.

"This caused our colleague Ebru Timtik's health condition to deteriorate more quickly and eventually led to her death.

"Today, we file a criminal complaint against the Chief Physician's Offices of Bakırköy Sadi Konuk Hospital and Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Hospital, where they were held under torture, and against the İstanbul Provincial Director of Health on charges of 'killing as a result of torture' and 'torture.'

"We also file a criminal complaint against Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, who, since September 12, 2017, has interfered with the investigation and the ensuing trial in various ways and prevented the judicial bodies from giving independent and lawful rulings.

"We want the murderers of Lawyer Ebru Timtik, a good human being, our friends, colleague and comrade, to be put on trial."

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(AS/SD)