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Shortly after 15 bar associations from Turkey's Kurdish-majority eastern and southeastern provinces condemned the recently escalating racist attacks against Kurds, their identity and language in Turkey, the bars were targeted by the pro-government Yeni Şafak newspaper.
In the wake of these targeting news, 48 bar associations across the country have expressed support and solidarity with the 15 bars.
CLICK - 15 bars condemn racist attacks against Kurds in Turkey
In their joint statement without mentioning the daily by its name, 48 bar associations have said, "We declare it to the public that we will follow up the issue to ensure that they will be brought to account before the law and that we stand with our bar associations which made the statement."
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Reference to the Attorneys' Act
The full statement of the bars reads as follows:
"With the joint statement of 'We Condemn Racist Attacks' released by our 15 bar associations on July 21, 2021, a request was raised for an end to hate speech and discriminatory language and a demand was made for an effective investigation into all attacks of this sort.
"Objecting to hate speech and discrimination falls within the frame of the duty of protecting the rule of law and human rights, which is placed on the bar associations as per the Attorneys' Act.
"This discriminatory language and hate speech, which was criticized by the bar associations, manifested itself once again on July 23, 2021, this time in the provocation of a newspaper.
"The article published by a newspaper and turning the bar associations of 15 provinces into a target is not a news report, but a piece of propaganda that will provoke the public to enmity and hatred and lead to chaos with its tone and content. This situation is the written form of the daring in turning people and institutions into targets with slanders.
"However, the ones who wrote this article should not forget that bar associations, which are institutions of law, will not bow down to any intimidation and will never give up on expressing the truth.
"We condemn the related media outlet which has turned the bar associations into a target by misusing the people's right to get information with these and similar tone and methods and we declare it to the public that we will follow up the issue to ensure that they will be brought to account before the law and that we stand with our bar associations which made the statement."
Undersigned bar association chairs
Adana Bar Association Chair Lawyer Semih Gökayaz
Adıyaman Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mustafa Köroğlu
Ağrı Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mehmet Salih Aydın
Ankara Bar Association Chair Lawyer Ramiz Erinç Sağkan
Antalya Bar Association Chair Lawyer Polat Balkan
Artvin Bar Association Chair Lawyer Ayla Varan
Aydın Bar Association Chair Lawyer Gökhan Bozkurt
Balıkesir Bar Association Chair Lawyer Erol Kayabay
Batman Bar Association Chair Lawyer Erkan Şenses
Bingöl Bar Association Chair Lawyer Ömer Faruk Hülakü
Bitlis Bar Association Chair Lawyer Fuat Özgül
Bolu Bar Association Chair Lawyer Sabri Erhendekçi
Bursa Bar Association Chair Lawyer Gürkan Altun
Çanakkale Bar Association Chair Lawyer Soner Aydın
Çankırı Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mustafa Deniz
Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Lawyer Nahit Eren
Edirne Bar Association Chair Lawyer Tacettin Sivrikaya
Eskişehir Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mustafa Elagöz
Gaziantep Bar Association Chair Lawyer Bektaş Şarklı
Giresun Bar Association Chair Lawyer Soner Karademir
Hakkari Bar Association Chair Lawyer Ergün Canan
Iğdır Bar Association Chair Lawyer Serkan Alakan
İstanbul Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mehmet Durakoğlu
İzmir Bar Association Chair Lawyer Özkan Yücel
Kahramanmaraş Bar Association Chair Lawyer Muhammed Burak Gül
Kars Bar Association Chair Lawyer Fettah Çapkurt
Kastamonu Bar Association Chair Lawyer Özgür Demir
Kayseri Bar Association Chair Lawyer Cavit Dursun
Kırklareli Bar Association Chair Lawyer Turgay Hınız
Kocaeli Bar Association Chair Lawyer Bahar Gültekin Candemir
Malatya Bar Association Chair Lawyer Enver Han
Manisa Bar Association Chair Lawyer Ümit Rona
Mardin Bar Association Chair Lawyer İsmail Elik
Mersin Bar Association Chair Lawyer Gazi Özdemir
Muğla Bar Association Chair Lawyer Cumhur Uzun
Muş Bar Association Chair Lawyer Kadir Karaçelik
Ordu Bar Association Chair Lawyer Sibel Torun
Samsun Bar Association Chair Lawyer Pınar Gürsel Yıldıran
Siirt Bar Association Chair Lawyer Nizam Dilek
Şanlıurfa Bar Association Chair Lawyer Mehmet Velat İzol
Şırnak Bar Association Chair Lawyer Rojhat Dilsiz
Tekirdağ Bar Association Chair Lawyer Sedat Tekneci
Trabzon Bar Association Chair Lawyer Sibel Suiçmez
Tunceli Bar Association Chair Lawyer Kenan Çetin
Van Bar Association Chair Lawyer Zülküf Uçar
Yalova Bar Association Chair Lawyer Fedayi Doğruyol
Yozgat Bar Association Chair Lawyer Muhsin Ayanoğlu
Zonguldak Bar Association Chair Lawyer Türker Kapkaç
(EMK/SD)
