Human rights lawyer Ayşegül Çağatay released from prison

Türkiye

Lawyers for Lawyers welcomes the news that human rights lawyer Ayşegül Çağatay from Turkey has been released from prison on bail on 31 March 2020!

On 20 June 2019, police raided the People’s Law Office (Halkın Hukuk Bürosu). Ayşegül Çağatay and her colleagues Görkem Agdede, Nadide Özdemir, and Ebru Timtik were taken into custody. On 25 June 2019, the four lawyers who were taken into custody were arrested.

A hearing in the case against the four lawyers took place on 3 January 2020 at the Istanbul 29th Heavy Penal Court. During this hearing, the court decided to split the case into two cases: one against Agdede and Özdemir and one against Çağatay and Timtik. The court furthermore decided to release Agdede and Özdemir and to remand Aysegül Çağatay and Ebru Timtik in pretrial detention.

The court hearing for Çağatay and Timtik was initially scheduled for 2 April 2020 but the court decided to advance the court hearing to 31 March 2020. Even though Çağatay has been released from prison on that day, she continues to be accused. Moreover, a travel ban has been imposed on her. Both Timtik and Çağatay are still on trial together and the next court hearing has been scheduled for 30 June 2020.

The lawyers that are working for the People’s Law Office are well known due to their work on high profile cases. Various lawyers that are members of the People’s Law Office were taking into custody in police raids against during the last years. Lawyers for Lawyers has been actively monitoring the trials of the lawyers that are members of the People’s Law Office.

Lawyers for Lawyers will keep on monitoring these cases, and the situation of lawyers in Turkey in general, closely.