Dozens of International Organizations call for Release of Turkish Lawyers and Others Detained Ahead of NATO Summit

The New York City Bar Association has joined over two dozen international organizations in calling for the immediate release of Turkish lawyers, journalists, students and academics arbitrarily detained ahead of the NATO Summit now underway in Ankara.

“Once again, the circumstances surrounding the detention of our colleagues raise concerns about violations of due process and the right to a fair defense,” reads the organizations’ statement. “As in previous cases, the authorities imposed a confidentiality order (secrecy decision) on the investigation file, along with a 24-hour restriction on access to counsel. These restrictions prevent the detainees and their defense teams from accessing the specific accusations and alleged evidence against them during the critical initial phase of custody. Arbitrary and recurring measures such as these severely undermine the fundamental right to a fair trial and directly interfere with the right to defense.”

The statement calls on the authorities to:

• Ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Ezgi Önalan, Yunus Emre Işık, Boran Işıldak, Burhan Can, Halil Arbağ, Özge Usanmaz, Doğa İncesu, Semra Demir and Kürşat Bafra, and all other individuals arbitrarily detained in connection with these recent operations;
• Guarantee full and unimpeded access to independently retained legal counsel of the detainees’ own choosing at every stage of the proceedings;
• Lift any confidentiality orders imposed on the relevant investigation files, and ensure full access for defense teams to case materials and evidence;
• End the ongoing criminalization of the legal profession, and the systematic use of disproportionate force.

The statement further calls on the international community to:

• Raise these concerns with the Turkish government through all available bilateral and multilateral channels, as well as publicly, and urge Turkey to end the use of the criminal justice system as a preemptive tool to silence civil society, the legal profession, and public discourse ahead of the 36th NATO Summit and beyond.

See the full statement and signatories here.

About the New York City Bar Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has over 20,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org