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Six attorneys from the Progressive Legists' Association's (ÇHD) İzmir Branch were released this morning (October 31) after giving their deposition before İzmir Court yesterday.
Attorneys Nergiz Tuba Aslan, Şule Arslan Hızal, Yemen Cankan, Emel Diril, Dinçer Çalım and Bahattin Özdemir were taken into custody on October 27 by police raiding the houses and the offices of the attorneys in the early hours. A detention order was issued for attorney Alihan Pilaf.
The attorneys were taken to the court for deposition yesterday (October 30) morning after after four days of detention.
Following their questioning the court decided this morning, that attorney Emel Diril be released on the condition of an international travel ban and attorney Bahattin Özdemir be released on the condition of an international travel ban and reporting to the police once a month.
The other four attorneys have also been released after their deposition before İzmir Chief Prosecutor's Office.
Attorneys were working on Soma Case
Attorney Yeşil has pointed out that the attorneys whose houses and offices were raided, had been closely following the soma trial regarding the occupational homicide in Soma mine, where 301 miners had lost their lives in 2014.
"In the last hearing, the board of judges was replaced and a suspect was released. ÇHD attorneys had filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor, who demanded the release and had also demanded recusation of the board of judges two days ago".
CLICK - Judge Replaced Ahead of Summary Judgement in Soma Trial
Following the detention, ÇHD İzmir Branch had posted on its official Twitter account:
"The houses and offices of our lawyer friends in İzmir was raided this morning. We repeat, we are the attorneys of Nuriye and Semih [Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, discharged in statutory decrees and on hunger strike to be reinstated to their jobs], we are the attorneys of all the poor".
In accordance with the decision of İzmir 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, there is a sealing order on the case.
An expression in the court order reads "with regards to the propaganda for the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist (TKEP/L) as explained in detail through solid evidence such as internet reports, examination reports correspondence of official units..."
The association shut down, 17 attorneys arrested
Progressive Legists' Association (ÇHD) was closed through the Statutory Decree No. 677 dated November 22, 2016, along with 375 associations and nine media outlets.
CLICK - 375 Associations, 9 Media Outlets Closed, 15,726 Public Officials Discharged
In addition, 14 attorneys from the association were taken into custody on September 12, 2017, two days before the next hearing of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça.
CLICK - 14 Detained Attorneys of Gülmen, Özakça on Hunger Strike Arrested
Attorneys Didem Baydar, Şükriye Erden, Ayşegül Çağatay, Ebru Timtik, Aytaç Ünsal, Zehra Özdemir, Yağmur Ereren, Engin Gökoğlu, Süleyman Gökten, Aycan Çiçek, Naciye Demir, Behiç Aşçı, Barkın Timtik and Özgür Yılmaz have been behind bars since September 21, 2017.
Earlier, attorneys Özlem Gümüştaş and Sezin Uçar from Law Office of the Oppressed were detained on October 26, ahead of the next hearing of Suruç trial, regarding the suicide attack killing 33 people in Suruç, Urfa in 2015, where activists, who gathered to deliver toys and humanitarian aid to Kobanê and were issuing a statement for the press, were targeted. (AS/DG)
