Progressive Lawyers Association case: All lawyers given sentences on 'terror' charges

Drawing: Murat Başol

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Twenty-two lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) and the People's Law Bureau (HHB) have received various prison sentences on charges related to "terrorism."

The İstanbul 18th Heavy Penal Court ruled for the continuation of the arrest of Barkın Timtik, Selçuk Kozağaçlı and Oya Aslan at the final hearing today (November 11) at the Silivri Prison Complex in İstanbul.

The court ruled that its decision could be appealed not at the Regional Court of Justice but at the Court of Cassation, the country's top appeals court.

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The lawyers received the following sentences:

Selçuk Kozağaçlı: 12 years in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and 1 year for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization"

Barkın Timtik: 12 years in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and 7 years for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" 1 year for "resisting the security forces" and 6 months "for participating in an illegal demonstration"

Oya Aslan: 10 years in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and 6 years for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization"

Taylan Tanay, Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı, Güçlü Sevimli, Gülvin Aydın: 6 years and 3 months in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization." The announcement of the verdict for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" was deferred.

Güray Dağ, Efkan Bolaç, Serkan Arıkanoğlu, Mümin Özgür Gider, Metin Narin, Sevgi Sönmez, Alper Tunga Saral, Rahim Yılmaz, Selda Yılmaz: 6 years and 3 months in prison for "being a member of a terrorist organization"

Özgür Yılmaz: 1 year in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" (Because he had a finalized sentence for "being a member of a terrorist organization," this charge was dropped in this case.)

Şükriye Erden: Announcement of the verdict for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" was deferred. (Because she had a finalized sentence for "being a member of a terrorist organization," this charge was dropped in this case.)

Naciye Demir: The announcement of the verdict for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" was deferred.

Files of the defendants Zeki Rüzgar and Günay Dağ were separated.

The case against Ebru Timtik, who lost her life in a death fast demanding a fair trial was dropped.

The ÇHD case consists of two separate cases that were merged. After the first case at the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court, the Court of Cassation had overturned the verdicts for four lawyers.

The verdicts for the other lawyers that were upheld by the Court of Cassation:

Özgür Yılmaz: 13 years and 6 months

Behiç Aşçı: 12 years

Şükriye Erden: 12 years

Engin Gökoğlu: 10 years and 6 months

Aytaç Ünsal: 10 years and 6 months

Süleyman Gökten: 10 years and 6 months

Aycan Çiçek: 9 years

Naciye Demir: 9 years

The local court had sentenced Ezgi Çakır, a lawyer of the defendants, to 8 years in prison. The Court of Cassation had ruled that Çakır should have been sentenced to "knowingly and willingly aiding the organization." (AS/VK)