A Turkish court on Friday ruled for the release of 17 lawyers who have mostly been imprisoned since September 2017 over the accusation of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”
İstanbul’s 37th High Criminal Court held the sixth hearing in the trial of 20 lawyers on Friday.
According to a report by pro-Kurdish Fırat news agency (ANF), all lawyers standing trial are members of the left-wing lawyers’ association, the Association of Progressive Lawyers (ÇHD) and the People’s Law Office (HBB), which is known for its efforts against state repression and focuses on political processes across the country.
Seventeen of the lawyers have been in custody since September and November 2017. The court ordered to release imprisoned lawyers but imposed a ban on their international travel. The trial was adjourned to February 19, 2019.
Among the released lawyers is the ÇHD chairman Selçuk Kozağaçlı, who was arrested in November 2017. The lawyer had been arrested on the same charge in 2013 and released from prison after the charges were dropped one year later.
The ÇHD, which was established in 1974 and a member of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), was closed about two years ago by a government decree under the state of emergency declared in the aftermath of a controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
The Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has prosecuted 1,546 lawyers on overbroad charges based on questionable accusations that preclude the right to a defense; 585 lawyers remain under arrest, and 169 lawyers have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 12 years, according to data compiled by the Arrested Lawyers Initiative.
The post Turkish court rules for release of 17 lawyers from pre-trial imprisonment appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.
from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-court-rules-for-release-of-17-lawyers-from-pre-trial-imprisonment/
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