Statement in Çağlayan for Lawyers Detained in NATO Operations: 'There is no judicial process, we are facing an attack'

In Istanbul, lawyers gathered outside the courthouse in Çağlayan to protest the detention and arrest of their colleagues from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD). The lawyers, including Istanbul Branch Chair Ezgi Önalan and members Yunusemre Işık and Doğa İncesu, were reportedly detained as part of operations conducted before a NATO summit.

During a brief march to the courthouse, participants chanted slogans like "Defense will not be silenced, will not be silenced" and "Revolutionary lawyers are our honor." ÇHD branch executives Kemal Aytaç and Gülyeter Aktepe spoke at the press conference, highlighting a pattern of detentions where lawyers are apprehended without concrete evidence or clear charges.

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We are not asking for privileges for lawyers. We are saying that they can only be detained and arrested within the framework of the constitution and the law.

Aytaç stated that lawyers are being detained and arrested without any evidence of wrongdoing, asserting that their only "crimes" are defending law and democracy, opposing imperialism, and advocating for peace. He emphasized that they are not seeking special treatment but are demanding that detentions and arrests adhere to constitutional and legal frameworks.

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The so-called evidence in the file consists of phone calls made by the colleagues with their clients, and even phone calls that lack content.

İstanbul Bar Association Vice President Rukiye Leyla Süren echoed these concerns, pointing to Articles 13 and 19 of the constitution. She argued that her colleagues are being held without cause and are subjected to detention and arrest procedures that bypass the established stages outlined in the Lawyers Act. She noted that lawyers often become the voice for journalists, workers, women, and children facing injustice, underscoring the importance of their role.

Ekim Bilen Selimoğlu, a member of the İstanbul Bar Association's executive board, reviewed the case file of the three detained ÇHD lawyers. Selimoğlu described the file as "completely empty," stating that the so-called evidence consists of phone conversations with clients, many of which lack substantive content. She asserted that all necessary power of attorney documents were provided, proving their client relationships. The minimal financial transactions mentioned and phone calls between lawyers were insufficient to warrant charges of organized crime, let alone strong suspicion.

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There is no legal process in sight; we are facing an attack.