ANKARA - The entry of the lawyers marching for defence was blocked by the police. The lawyers kept waiting at the entry of the city started a sit in.

 

The 'Defense March' initiated by 53 Bar Associations organized against the new structure and election system demanded by the government is blocked by the police at the entry of Ankara. The police did not allow the lawyers of Ankara Bar Association to welcome group. The lawyers protested the police barricades with slogans 'No justice no defence'. 

 

BAR PRESIDENTS WERE BATTERED BY THE POLICE

 

Police battered the bar presidents who want to cross the barricades. 6 Bar Presidents were battered by the police. Antep Bar President Bektaş Şarklı was battered with police shields while Aksaray Bar President Evren Dinçer, Trabzon Bar President Sibel Suiçmez and 2 more Bar presidents were able to cross the barricades and reach Ankara Bar Association.

 

Trabzon Bar President Sibel Suiçmez who was almost trampled by the police, said: "We saw the provocation and returned to our original place. We came here with democratic struggle. Our friends are waiting there. Our democratic right is being violated. We were just heading to Anıtkabir (Atatürk's monumental tomb). It is really interesting that they prevented us from going there."

 

Aksaray Bar President Erhan Toprak said: "This is a disgrace in the history of democracy. A bar president was punched. We will wait here for days if need be. Our march will continue."

 

Lawyers booing the Turkish Bar Association and its executives, ptotested the situation.

 

As their passage was not allowed, the bar associates began a sit-in. The Ankara Bar Association's board of directors and many lawyers also started a sit-in to support the bar associates.

 

On the other hand, when the bar associations were prevented from entering Ankara, TBB President Metin Feyzioğlu and some accompanying bar association presidents visited Anıtkabir. Announcing the visit from his social media account, Feyzioglu said, "We are in the spiritual presence of our ancestors with our bar associates with the presidents of Afyon, Ardahan, Iğdır, Ağrı, Konya, Elazığ, Sivas, Gümüşhane - Bayburt, Çorum, Yozgat, Kütahya, Edirne, Samsun, Erzurum and Kahramanmaraş.