The People’s Law Office (HHB) in Istanbul was raided by the police on June 20 and Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD) stanbul Chapter Administrator Ebru Timtik and members Aysegul Cagatay, Gorkem Agdede and Nadide Ozdemir were arrested.

Ten lawyers and one intern from the HHB are in prison currently, as well as 10 lawyers from CHD. 8 lawyers from the CHD have outstanding arrest warrants against them. One lawyer from the OHP is also in prison. Hundreds of lawyers are restricted from attending political cases, while hundreds of others have several lawsuits filed against them.

The lawyers spoke about the pressure against them and the arrests with CHD’s Gokmen Yesil and HHB’s Yaprak Turkmen. Yesil said, “In the past, there have been incidents where CHD lawyers were killed.

There is a problem, and this problem creates its own comrades and supporters of course. People find each other. Water finds its way. The issues won’t go away if they pressure us.” Turkmen said the HHB is still in operation and added that they will continue on the path they know to be right, taking cases from individuals subjected to injustice even if there is not many of them left.

“DON’T THINK, DON’T SPEAK, DON’T DEFEND PEOPLE”

Yesil spoke about the pressures against lawyers and said, “There is a terrible atmosphere of exploitation and oppression in the country. Society has journalists, lawyers and academics to speak up against such cases.

The pressure comes to, ‘don’t think, don’t speak, don’t defend people’. They aim to silence the professionals who could amplify the voice of the people. The police trampling the academics’ robes in Ankara is symbolic.”

“PROSECUTOR ASKED WHY WE DEFENDED SOMA”

Yesil said there are 10 members of the CHD in prison and 8 members have outstanding arrest warrants, on allegations of membership to a terrorist organization. Yesil said the lawyers were asked during their depositions at the prosecutor’s office why they took families from the Soma mining disaster on as clients: “One of the allegations against Barkin Timtik is to hold meetings with citizens in poor neighborhoods against demolitions.

What else would a lawyer who is an administrator in an NGO like the CHD do? Informing the public on their rights regarding demolitions is about professional ethics, as well as a humane thing to do and in accordance with our worldview.

The stance of our colleagues disturbs the government and its prosecutors, that is the only reason for their arrest.”