Nine lawyers arrested on alleged terrorism links

ISTANBUL

AA Photo

Nine lawyers, including Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) head Selçuk Kozağaçlı, were arrested today for alleged links with the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).

ÇHD Istanbul department head Taylan Tanay, former Istanbul head Serhan Arıkanoğlu, ÇHD head office executive Oya Aslan, as well as ÇHD members Güçlü Sevimli, Ebru Timtik, Barkın Timtik, Naciye Demir and Şükriye Erden were also arrested while the court decided to release lawyer Efkan Bolaç.

Twelve lawyers were detained in raids on Jan. 18; on Jan. 20, two lawyers, Güray Dağ and Gülvin Aydın, were released after being taken to Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse.

The ÇHD is an organization that provides judicial support to victims in major contemporary human rights abuse cases.

The detentions were made after anti-terror police raided dozens of apartments and offices on the morning of Jan. 18, in Turkey’s three largest cities of Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir, detaining 63 individuals suspected of “terrorism,” including activist lawyers and musicians.

The arrests came after court decisions to release 12 activists after 12 were arrested and seven were released on bail late Jan. 20.