Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals has upheld a prison sentence handed down to the head of a now-closed lawyers’ association who has been behind bars for more than seven years on terrorism-related charges.
In November 2022 head of the now-closed Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) Selçuk Koza?açl?, also a prominent human rights activist and lawyer, was among 19 lawyers given 146 years in prison in total on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” by the ?stanbul 18th High Criminal Court.
The court convicted the lawyers of membership in the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C) and spreading the propaganda of the DHKP/C, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU.
The court sentenced jailed defendants Koza?açl? and Bark?n Timtik to 12 years in prison each and ruled to keep them in jail during appeal.
The lawyers say their prosecution is politically motivated.
The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals has concluded the appeals for Koza?açl? and Timtik and upheld their sentences while sending the files of the other defendants to a regional appeals court for review. The top court, however, reduced Koza?açl?’s sentence to 10 years, 15 days on a technicality.
Koza?açl?, who was arrested in November 2017 on terrorism charges, angered the government by representing two academics who were fired from their jobs by government decrees, the victims of a mining disaster in Soma in western Turkey in 2014 and many other persecuted people.
More Sources. https://defendlawyers.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/turkeys-top-appeals-court-upholds-prison-sentence-of-prominent-lawyer/
