Turkey: Court’s decision to re-detain lawyers adds credence to allegations that their prosecution is politically motivated

Upon objections by the prosecution, which lacked any new reasoning, an Istanbul court ordered on 15 September 2018, the re-detention of 12 lawyers it had released at a hearing the day before. All 20 lawyers prosecuted in this case are members of the Progressive Lawyers Association and some of People’s Law Bureau and are charged with being members or leaders of the armed group, Revolutionary Peoples’ Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C). The decision to re-detain the lawyers without any new evidence a day after their release by the same court adds credence to allegations that the trial is politically motivated and that the lawyers’ detention is intended to punish them for their activism. The decision may also further weaken public trust in the judicial system in the country.

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