Lawyers from the Diyarbakır Bar Association made a statement in front of the Diyarbakır (ku: Amed) Courthouse denouncing the detention of over 100 journalists, politicians, lawyers and representatives of non-governmental organizations in 21 cities in the morning. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Lawyers’ Association for Freedom (ÖHD), the Green Left Party, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), the Democratic Regions Party’s (DBP) provincial and district organization representatives, as well as many lawyers and representatives of non-governmental organizations attended the protest. Reading out the press statement, the Deputy Chair of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, Mehdi Özdemir, demanded an immediate end to unlawful detentions.

Noting that 25 lawyers have been detained so far as part of the Diyarbakır-based investigation, Özdemir said: “25 of our colleagues, 3 of whom are registered with the Mardin Bar, 2 with the Batman Bar, 1 with the Şanlıurfa Bar and 19 with the Diyarbakır Bar, as well as journalists, artists and rights defenders have been detained following police raids at their homes and offices, including the Headquarters of the Lawyers’ Association for Freedom. Our colleagues, who attend hearings at the courthouse every day, have been unlawfully detained following the police raids in violation of laws and human rights, despite the fact that they would have testified had they been informed or summoned by the police.”

Özdemir continued: “As fundamental rights and freedoms are restricted in a very arbitrary way, rights defenders, especially lawyers, journalists and artists are targeted by the judiciary and exposed to criminal threats. We see how protection measures such as detentions and arrests are misused against rights defenders in an unnecessary and disproportionate manner. Files, which concern the professional activities of lawyers, were seized in their offices in order for evidence to be created for an accusation. The duty of defence is made the subject of accusation in a disproportionate and unlawful police search. Concerns over democratic and fair elections in Turkey have long existed. In consideration of the concerns regarding election security, attempts are being made to intimidate non-governmental organizations and rights defenders through the judiciary.”

Özdemir concluded: “We, as rights-based non-governmental organizations, reiterate once again that we do not accept in any way the criminalization of right defenders’ and lawyers’ professional activities in defiance of laws and universal legal principles. Our colleagues, journalists and rights defenders should be released immediately.”