From Selahattin Demirtaş to Justice Minister: May death fasting lawyers live
* Photo: Social media
Click to read the article in Turkish
Behind bars in Edirne Prison since November 2016, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has sent a message to Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül for arrested lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal on a death fast for their right to a fair trial behind bars.
In a message shared on his Twitter account today (June 24), Demirtaş, who himself also graduated from the Faculty of Law of Ankara University, has addressed the following message to Minister Gül:
"All political considerations aside, please do not let humanity die. For our colleagues, I am making a request from a politician for the first time. Please get personally involved in this issue.
"May Lawyer Ebru Timtik and Lawyer Aytaç Ünsal live."
Bütün siyasi değerlendirmeler bir yana, lütfen insanlığın ölmesine izin vermeyin. Meslektaşlarımız için, ilk defa bir siyasetçiden ricada bulunuyorum. Lütfen konuyla bizzat ilgilenin. Av. Ebru Timtik ve Av. Aytaç Ünsal yaşasınlar. @abdulhamitgul
— Selahattin Demirtaş (@hdpdemirtas) June 24, 2020
What happened?
Announcing its verdict in the lawsuit filed against ÇHD lawyers on March 20, the court ruled that the lawyers should be sentenced to 3 years, 1 month, 15 days to 18 years, 9 months in prison.
The 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice rejected the objections and sent the file to the Court of Cassation.
CLICK - Judge First Upheld the Sentence, Then Examined the File
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation expressed opinion that the prison sentences of all lawyers, except for the one given to lawyer Barkın Timtik, be upheld.
The letter of notification only indicated that the prison sentence of 18 years, 9 months given to Barkın Timtik for "establishing and leading an organization" as per the Article 314/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) should be overturned and he should also be penalized for "membership of an organization" like other lawyers.
The letter of notification issued by the prosecutor's office has been sent to the 16th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.
Lawyer Ebru Timtik, an executive of the ÇHD, and lawyer Aytaç Ünsal, a member of the ÇHD, have gone on a death fast for the right to a fair trial. (EMK/SD)