‘Defense Rally’ cancelled due to Governor’s ban, bars to file a criminal complaint

* Photo: Mustafa Murat Kaynak - Ankara / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Scheduled for 3 p.m. today (July 3), the "Grand Defense Rally" of lawyers has been cancelled as the Governor's Office of Ankara banned meetings and demonstrations in the capital city for 15 days as of yesterday.

Foreseeing the establishment of more than one bar association in a city, the Bill on Amendments to the Attorneys' Act and Some Laws was submitted to the Parliamentary Speaker's Office on June 30.

Protesting this bill, 30 bar associations announced that they would hold a "Grand Defense Rally" against the bill.

Making a statement about the rally in the wake of the ban on meetings and demonstrations, Ankara Bar Association has announced that their rally has been cancelled and they will file a criminal complaint about the decision of the Governor's Office which has caused the cancellation.

CLICK - As parliament discusses bar associations bill, lawyers protest outside till morning

Referring to the ban of the Governor's Office as "unlawful", the Ankara Bar Association has invited all lawyers to come to Ankara Sıhhiye Courthouse at 3 p.m. and to give signatures for the criminal complaint.

"As per the Ankara Governor's Office decision dated July 2, the defense rally to be held today has been prevented under the pretext of pandemic, Anıtpark has been completely closed and, for that reason, there has remained no opportunity to hold the planned rally," the Ankara Bar has indicated .

Accordingly, the Bar has announced that, together with several other bar chairs, "a complaint will be filed against this decision, which is openly against the Constitution, as well as the unlawful prevention and inhuman treatment suffered by bar chairs at the entrance of Ankara on June 22."

Noting that "this unlawfulness has targeted both the profession of attorneyship and all lawyers," Ankara Bar has called on all lawyers who want to sign the complaint to come to Ankara Sıhhiye Courthouse at 3 p.m.

After this statement was shared, Aydın Bar Association Chair Gökhan Bozkurt has captured the moments when the riot squads are positioned in front of the courthouse in Sıhhiye and shared it on social media:

Ankara Adliyesi önünden hukuk devleti manzaraları. #Vazgeçmeyeceğiz pic.twitter.com/xsCfpuQkGS

— Av.Gökhan Bozkurt (@gokhanbozkurt09) July 3, 2020

CLICK - Bar chairs said 'We will call on all lawyers to come to Ankara,' barricades removed

Statement by Bar Associations Union Chair

Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) Chair Metin Feyzioğlu made a statement today and said, "You were invited to the commission at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) yesterday, but you did not come. Let us mediate again and you go and talk."

The bar association chairs did not attend the debates at the Parliamentary Justice Commission as they did not accept the offer that only three of them would be allowed to talk for a limited period of time. All chairs want to attend the commission meetings and express their opinions about the bill. (AS/SD)