Selçuk Kozağaçlı is a lawyer and member of the People’s Law Office who worked on many human rights cases. Selçuk Kozağaçlı is well- known for working on the “Soma Mine” disaster,the worst mine disaster in Turkey’s history, in which 301 miners were killed. He is also president of the ÇHD, an association which focuses on the right to life and advocates for the prevention of all types of attack on fundamental rights and human dignity. On 22 November, 2016 the CHD was closed down by a government decree issued under the State of Emergency.
Selçuk Kozağaçlı was arrested in November 2017 and charged with “membership of a terrorist organisation”. It was reported that during his pre-trial detention, he was kept in solitary confinement for a long period of time. Together with four other lawyers, Selçuk Kozağaçlı started a hunger strike on 24 January, 2019 to protest the irregularities in their trial and serious concerns about judicial independence.
On 20 March, 2019, the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Courtin Silivri Courthouse convicted him together with 17 other lawyers of terrorist related crimes. Selçuk Kozağaçlı was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months of imprisonment.
Selçuk Kozağaçlı received the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2019.
