Lawyers protest over our detained colleagues

Colleagues of the Cumhuriyet newspaper lawyers who have been detained as part of the investigation into the newspaper, having last week held a sit-down protest calling for their release, today held a protest by congregating and remaining at the same place inside Istanbul Judicial Complex. The protesting lawyers have also filed a crime report into officials in connection with last week’s police intervention.

150 LAWYERS GATHERED AT THE SAME POINT AGAIN TODAY

Some 150 lawyers, including CHP members of parliament Mahmut Tanal and Barış Yarkadaş and HDP member of parliament Filiz Kerestecioğlu, gathered in front of the Themis statues inside the judicial complex and held a ‘Justice Watch’.

THEY STOOD RATHER THAN SITTING

At the protest that started at 11.30 and passed off without police intervention, this time the lawyers stood throughout the action. Following the hour-long protest, the lawyers came outside the judicial complex building and made a press statement.

PROSECUTOR WHO CONTINUES TO BE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR FETHULLAH GÜLEN TERRORIST ORGANISATION LINKS

The lawyer Leyhan Han Tüzel, who read the press statement, stated that their detained colleagues had been in prison for five months without knowing what they were charged with and said, ‘We call for the prosecutor on the case who continues to be under investigation for Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organisation links to be removed from his post and for our colleagues to be brought before the judiciary immediately and released.’


ONE LAWYER SUSTAINED A BROKEN LEG AND ONE A BROKEN NOSE, AND EIGHT LAWYERS WERE ARRESTED

Tüzel, recalling that the lawyers had been subjected to violence at the ‘Justice Watch’ held last week, with one lawyer sustaining a broken leg and another a broken nose, and eight lawyers had also been arrested, indicated that a crime report had been filed into the officials who used violence against the lawyers.

‘JUSTICE WATCH’ EVERY THURSDAY

Tüzel, stating that they expected support from bar and professional associations for the ‘Justice Watch’ they would hold every Thursday, commented, ‘There is absolutely no unlawful aspect to our demands for justice. We lawyers announce that will be persistent in voicing our demand for rights and justice.’ The lawyers entered the judicial complex building following the statement.


THE POLICE INTERVENED LAST WEEK

The police intervened against certain lawyers who were staging a sit-down protest inside Istanbul Judicial Complex, demanding the release of the lawyers detained in the Cumhuriyet newspaper investigation, Cumhuriyet newspaper Executive Board Chair Akın Atalay, and Cumhuriyet Foundation Executive Board members Bülent Utku and Mustafa Kemal Güngör, and some lawyers were injured. Eight lawyers were also arrested.