Proposal on bar associations ‘dividing the defense,’ says CHP leader

ANKARA

A bill introduced by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) overseeing Turkey’s bar associations to split into smaller groups is “dividing the defense,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on July 7.

“There cannot be a parallel state, no parallel bar,” he said at the CHP’s parliament group meeting.

The AKP aims to “divide the defense” professionals of the justice mechanism of the country, he stated.  “They divided the judiciary, divided the media, divided the business world, now they will divide one of the most important pillars of the judiciary: Defense,” he stated.

Kılıçdaroğlu claimed this would lead to parallel bars being formed in the provinces. “Why multiple bars? You also have the right to supervise the bar associations as the central government. If there is corruption, you can intervene, if there is an irregularity, you will examine it,” he asked.

“There is no parallel governor, no parallel district governor, no parallel land registry manager. There is one governor in a province. Why multiple bar associations?” he questioned.

The 28-article bill contains changes in the Lawyer’ Act and some other laws that regulate the duties of the lawyers and the formation of the bar associations.

Elaborating on an explosion at a fireworks factory in the northwestern province of Sakarya, Kılıçdaroğlu also said the incident was not an “accident,” but a “workplace homicide,” noting that the CHP will continue to defend the rights of the people killed and injured there.

“The explosion in Sakarya shows how much the government values people. All he looks for is rentierism and money. There is no accident, there is a murder,” the CHP leader said.

Kılıçdaroğlu said that despite the factory having had a bad record of previous incidents, the owner of the business was able to keep it open.

“There were four separate explosions in 11 years. People are losing their lives again. But wherever the owner of this factory gets power, from whom it gets support, he reopens his factory every time without taking any precaution,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.