Lawyers support 'defense march,' call on bar associations' union chair to resign

Lawyers at İstanbul Courthouse (Photos: Eylem Nazlıer/Twitter)

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Lawyers have staged demonstrations in several cities, including İstanbul, Ankara, Batman and Hatay, to protest the prevention of bar association chairs from entering Ankara during their "defense march" against the government's plan to make amendments to the Attorneys' Act.

While supporting the bar association chairs, lawyers chanted slogans against Metin Feyzioğlu, the chair of the Union of Bar Associations of Turkey (TBB), calling for his resignation.

Setting off from numerous provinces on Friday (June 19), dozens of bar association chairs arrived in Ankara yesterday but the police blocked them from entering the city for more than 24 hours.

The police also attacked members of the Ankara Bar Association, who came to the support of their colleagues last night. 

After the lawyers spent the night under rain and surrounded by the police, the TBB Chair visited the lawyers in the morning, only to be protested by them.

As bar chairs turned their back to Feyzioğlu and didn't let him into the area, he accused them of "terrorizing bar associations."

Feyzioğlu has been criticized by lawyers due to his stance towards the government since he attended an unprecedented judicial year opening ceremony at the Presidential Complex. 

Later in the day, the police removed barricades to allow the bar chairs to march.

Çağlayan’da avukatlar İsyanda! pic.twitter.com/m8TS165UJP

— Hüseyin Boğatekin (@AvBogatekin) June 23, 2020

Batman Barosu avukatları bir araya gelerek "Vazgeçmeyeceğiz biat etmeyeceğiz" dövizler ile yürüyüşleri engellenen ve darp edilen baro başkanlarının yanında olduklarını açıkladı. pic.twitter.com/DhfPBjWjNH

— metinyoksu (@metinyoksu) June 23, 2020

(AS/VK)