ADANA - ÇHD Second Chair Ümit Büyükdağ stated that the demands of his friends who are on hunger strike are affordable demands and demanded that concrete steps must be taken as soon as possible.

 

Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) President Selçuk Kozağaçlı and ÇHD members Aycan Çiçek, Aytaç Ünsal, Barkın Timtik, Ebru Timtik, Engin Gökoğlu, Ayşegül Çağatay and Oya Aslan have started a hunger strike in prison on February 3 with some demands, especially the right to a fair trial. While Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Aycan Çiçek, Engin Gökoğlu and Ayşegül Çağatay paused their hunger strikes for a while on March 10, other imprisoned lawyers Barkın Timtik, Ebru Timtik, Oya Arslan and Aytaç Ünsal continue the indefinite non rotating hunger strike.

 

Second Chair of ÇHD, Attorney Ümit Büyükdağ, drew attention to the situation of their colleagues on hunger strike and demanded that their demands are met.

 

'THOSE ARE AFFORDABLE DEMANDS'

 

Stating that his colleagues are being tried for their activities as lawyers, Büyükdağ stated that 4 of his colleagues are on an indefinite non rotating hunger strike. Büyükdağ said: " Our friends demand a fair trial. These are affordable demands. We hope that they will finish the hunger strike once the demand of fair trial is met."

 

'VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT TO DEFENSE'

 

Büyükdağ stating that the number of lawyers on trial is 546 as of April 2019, said: "Unfortunately, these all trials in Turkey right now are show trials. The rights, laws and international conventions that have been acquired as a result of a struggle for centuries are violated and ignored by people who are ministry personnel, not judges. Lawyer trials are also not exempt from this. It is clear that special attention has been paid to the trial of lawyers. Because a message is being given to the public and to the opposition parties through lawyer trials. This is the message is 'Look, we have the power to do this to those who will defend you, we'll do you worse.' And unfortunately they do. For this reason, the majority of the people currently sitting in the courthouses are not the judges but the mercenaries of the state. They act by instruction. Naturally, it is not possible for such profiles to care about defense and the right to defense. The right to defense is violated in all proceedings. The fact that they are being tried is a violation of the right to defense."

 

Büyükdağ, stating that the lawyers are in serious danger and that the government is trying to intimidate all segments of the society by putting pressure on lawyers, said: "If the justice system has started to decay in a society, it means that the brutality is much more serious in all other areas. You journalists have a great responsibility and duty here. We can only rescue ourself from this decay by working together. As we always say, 'We are right and we will win'.

 

 

MA / Hamdullah Kesen