The İstanbul Bar Association has announced that one of its members, Yunus Özayar, was physically assaulted by police officers at a station in the Esenyurt district.
The association called for the immediate suspension of the officers involved under the slogan "end violence in police stations."
The incident occurred at around 9.20 pm on Apr 11 when Özayar visited the Esenyurt Yunus Emre Şehit Kenan Kumaş Police Center to meet with a foreign client involved in a traffic accident, according to the bar association's statement.
Police Violence Against Lawyer: ‘What About Your Attorneyship Now?’
Following the meeting, the lawyer requested to examine the case file. Officers told him no file existed and that the client would be held until Apr 13 without processing before being sent to a removal center.
Özayar then asked whether a detention warrant or prosecutorial instruction existed. Officers reportedly said there were no such instructions and denied his request to speak with the prosecutor on duty.
The association stated that three uniformed and one plainclothes officer then physically attacked Özayar. He was forcibly removed from the station and denied reentry.
Özayar contacted the 112 emergency line after falling ill due to the beating. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance, where he received a medical report documenting the assault before being discharged.
Call for accountability
The bar's Lawyer Rights Center condemned the attack, stating that violence against lawyers threatens the right to defense and fair trial principles.
The bar association demanded an effective and impartial criminal and administrative investigation and called for the preservation of camera footage. It also demanded immediate suspension of the responsible officers.
The association announced it will not assign lawyers to mandatory defense requests from the specific police station until the officers involved are removed from duty. (AB/VK)
