The offices and houses of the four lawyers, two of them are executive committee members of the Human Rights Association or IHD, were searched in Ankara in the morning (12.05.2009). Then these lawyers were detained. Mr. Hasan Anlar is one of the deputy secretary generals of the IHD, Ms. Filiz Kalayci is an EC member, Mr. Halil İbrahim Vargün is the former treasurer of the IHD and Mr. Murat Vargün is a human rights defenders. Mr. Anlar and Ms. Kalayci are members of the IHD Commission of Prisons.
As it is known the IHD has prepared the report of human rights violations in the prisons of Turkey and made it public to draw attention to these violations. The IHD has shared this report with the authorities, too. Violations in the prisons of Turkey increasingly go on. Everyone accepts this situation. Detained human rights defenders are sensitive about problems in the prisons; subsequently they often receive letters of complaint from the prisons. Bringing lawyers, who are also human rights defenders, are under suspicion for their professional activities and human rights sensitivity is unacceptable. The prosecution office, which is carrying out investigation, should act in accordance with the The United Nations of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders that is about protection of human rights defenders and accepted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9th December 1998 and stop the detention process.
In accordance with the securities, which are provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Law on Lawyers, there is no benefit for the prosecution office from such a way of detention. Due to their professional characteristics detention of lawyers is a serious violation not only for defence profession but also right to defence.
As the Human Rights Association and the Contemporary Lawyers Association we ask that detention process should be stopped and the investigation should be carried out in accordance with the principles of the rule of law as well as respect for profession of lawyers and human rights defenders.
Human Rights Association Contemporary Lawyers Association