All lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (CHD) released
News about the releases brought to you by Anadolu News Blog:
LAWYERS OF CHD (ASSOCIATION OF PROGRESSIVE JURISTS) AND PEOPLE’S LAW BUREAU (HHB) ARE FREE!
Anadolu Newsblog
Exactly 14 months ago the Turkish state under the AKP government launched an attack against 22 progressive lawyers of CHD and HHB. 9 lawyers, among them the president of CHD Selcuk Kozagacli, were arrested, their other colleagues were charged out of prison.
The state doesn’t have anything against them, except of their professional work. This was proven at the first trial in December, where not the court judged the lawyers, but in contrary.
Like in roulette 4 lawyers were selected and set free during the first court session, while the other 5 remained in prison.
40 democratic lawyers from Europe and thousands of lawyers in Turkey supported their charged colleagues until the end. The matchless solidarity among professionals, but also the unbending and revolutionary attitude of the lawyers have apparently forced the state to release the lawyers as abrupt as they were arrested.
Continue reading “All lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (CHD) released”
BDP MP for Hakkari Adil Zozani: ‘We are determined to take this journey for peace’
INTERVIEW
1 October 2013
Mr Adil Zozani, Member of Parliament for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), was recently in the UK to attend the Labour Party Conference and address a public meeting with members of London’s Kurdish community. Peace in Kurdistan Campaign spoke with him about the conference, the BDP’s role in current peace negotiations for the resolution of the Kurdish Question, and about Turkey’s questionable role in developments in Rojava, northern Syria.
How has your message been received so far in the UK, and in particular, at the Labour Party Conference, where you spoke at a meeting that was attended by the Turkish Ambassador to the UK?
The Labour Party Conference was very interesting, and it was clear they are very excited about the possibility being in leadership again. I met many people who were in solidarity with the Kurdish movement and found that the Kurdish question was well known amongst them.
3rd International Law Symposium this weekend in Istanbul
On 28-29 September, the 3rd International Law Symposium will be held in the Küçükarmutlu area of Istanbul. This year’s theme is uprisings, and ‘being a revolutionary lawyers in the struggle for bread, justice and freedom’. Download a copy of the flyer here.
“LAWYERS ARE CONGREGATING TO TALK ABOUT JUSTICE
Lawyers are coming together for the third time.
Which lawyers? Lawyers of workers, of ghettos, of favelas and barrios, of serves without any land to their name, of students without any financial aids, of women who were attacked and violated, of natives, of massacred revolutionists, of patriots, of those in captivity, of the poor, the ignored and those who are held in disregard and
those who are being tried to erased out of existence in masses.
Lawyers of billions, who – had they gotten together themselves, instead those who speak for them – could decimate their common enemies.
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Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update
Below is an update from the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) international campaign to set free all journalists in Turkey.
Latest News
- 02 July 2013 – List of international and Turkish journalists and photographers injured during the Gezi Park events in Istanbul (soon available in English / in Turkish)
- 30 June 2013 – Ground Zero – Turkey : Journalist Tim Pool’s first assignment was to do a live stream of the protests against the construction of a mall in Gezi Park (video)
- 28 June 2013 – Lettre d’AVOCATS.BE à M. Erdogan, Premier ministre de la République de Turquie, au sujet de la situation des avocats en Turquie, in full here (Fr) (PDF)
- 26 June 2013 – UK Parliament, Early Day Motion : Attacks On Media Freedoms In Turkey, by MP Jeremy Corbyn e.a.
- 25 June 2013 – Beviser plantet mod journalist (in Danish), by Esben Ørberg
- 17 June 2013 – Der Deutsche Journalisten-Verband hat gegen die Medienhetze des türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdogan protestiert, in full here
- 17 June 2013 Journalists Call for International Action to End Crackdown on Media in Turkey – Join the Action Now!
- Continue reading “Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update”
Turkey, peace talks and the PKK: full video
28 June 2013|Garden Court Chambers
Last Friday, we held an important public event with distinguished expert speakers to discuss the current peace talks, possible disruptions to the process and the role of the PKK. Here is a full video of the speakers’ presentations:
Turkey, peace talks and the PKK, Freedom and Justice for the Kurds from Saman Gareeb on Vimeo.
Lawyers’ associations rally around arrested colleagues in Istanbul
After the arrests on Tuesday of at least 47 lawyers at Caglayan Court in Istanbul who were issuing a statement regarding the Gezi Park protests, the European Association for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH); the Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC); and the Law Society of England and Wales have all issued statements in support of their colleagues.
All three statements are available below.
European Association for Democracy and Human Rights
London – Düsseldorf, 12 June 2013
Press release
European Lawyers protestContinue reading “Lawyers’ associations rally around arrested colleagues in Istanbul”
‘The Kurdish Question in Turkey’ – Conference Report
“On Wednesday 17 April 2013 the Law School and the ISCTSJ at Queen’s University Belfast hosted a one-day conference entitled ‘The Kurdish Question in Turkey’. The aim of this multi-disciplinary conference was to bring together legal experts, academics, politicians, journalists and grass-roots activists to ignite debate on the Kurdish question in Turkey, particularly from a human rights perspective. The ‘question’ concerns the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. A dispute concerning the rights of Kurds in Turkey, which has spanned over three decades and involved systematic violations of civil, political and socio-economic rights.
The conference dealt with three issues – ‘Democracy Deferred, the Continuing Challenges – Political Trials, Identity and Human Rights’, ‘Victimization of Kurds by the Current Turkish Law’ and ‘Constructive and Peaceful Solution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey’. Eleven speakers presented on these issues to an audience of over 80 participants. The conference, which occurred within weeks of the latest PKK ceasefire, came at a particularly propitious time, thus leading to a number of lively discussions.”
Participants included Peace in Kurdistan patron Margaret Owen OBE, distinguished lawyer from Turkey Ercan Kanar, and head of the BDP Foreign Affairs Commission Nasmi Gur – plus may more.
The report is available for download.
Also, audio-visual recordings from the conference are available at the HR Conference QUB Youtube Channel. The recordings are also gradually being uploaded to the HR Conference QUB Vimeo channel, which we hope to have completed by the end of May.
If you have any further queries you can contact Dennis Arbet Nejbir and Hannah Russell from the organising commmittee at this address queenshrconference@gmail.com.
Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) pursues its international campaign to Set Free Journalists in Turkey.
Please find below the latest news on the matter; including in-depth eye-witness accounts of last Thursday’s (21 March) Odatv hearing in Istanbul.
26 March 2013 – After 743 in prison still no freedom for Yalçin Küçük, EFJ website
19 March 2013 – New OdaTV trial hearing on Thursday 21 March, EFJ website
18 March 2013 – Magazine staff arrested in Turkey, Elif Akgül, Bianet
13 March 2013 – Journalist prosecuted twice under Article 301 for comment on Armenia, Bianet
Continue reading “Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update”
Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) pursues its international campaign to Set Free all Journalists in Turkey.
Please find below the latest news on the matter.
1 March 2013 – Union thanks chancellor for having stood up for Turkish imprisoned journalists, DJV website (in DE)
· 26 Feb 2013 – Özlem Agus has been released from prison after 10 months, Bianet (in TR and here in EN)
· 25 Feb 2013 – French Senator Billout speaks at OSCE session on Turkish press freedom, Billout website (in FR)
· 22 Feb 2013 – German union demands ahead of Turkey visit for chancellor to stand up for journalists, DJV website (in DE)
· 21 Feb 2013 – EFJ fears fight against free unions in Turkey growing issue after raids of Workers union, EFJ website
Continue reading “Set journalists free in Turkey: EFJ campaign update”