The Law Society has expressed new concerns about the violation of human rights in Turkey as the Ankara government continues to mistreat lawyers and human rights defenders.
This warning comes as the Law Society publishes a report with a delegation of 26 other legal and human rights organisations to detail the conclusions of a fact-finding mission to Turkey.
In November, the delegation visited eight lawyers in prison to gather first-hand information on their current status, including the context of their arrests and their treatment in detention.
The mission revealed that the Turkish government has used overly broad anti-terror law to arbitrarily arrest and detain lawyers. Almost every lawyer the delegation visited in prison was arrested on terrorism charges for taking on human rights cases. They were convicted and sentenced after being deprived the right to due process and fair trial.
Lawyers in detention are also subjected to torture and ill-treatment, and are often held in small group isolation with limited contact with other individuals or the outside world. They also face frequent and arbitrary disciplinary measures, preventing them from being eligible to apply for conditional early release.
The delegation concludes that the condition of these lawyers violates Turkey’s commitment to international standards of human rights.
Law Society vice president Richard Atkinson said: 'There is a worrying pattern of human rights violations in Turkey. Our findings conclude that the treatment of lawyers in Turkey demonstrates a blatant disregard for international norms. By prohibiting lawyers from fulfilling their professional duties, the Turkish government seeks to dismantle the rule of law and access to justice.
'This is a blatant violation of Turkey’s obligation to uphold international human rights. We demand the immediate release of the eight lawyers we visited in detention. We also urge the Turkish government to respect the independence of the legal profession and halt any further acts of interference.
'The condition of lawyers in Turkey is of grave concern. We stand in solidarity with lawyers under attack and will continue to monitor the situation in Turkey.'
