Following widespread protests and police brutality in Turkey in the last two weeks, 45 lawyers were arrested in Istanbul on 11 June. The lawyers were taking part in a peaceful protest inside the Çağlayan Court, near Taksim Square, directed against the repression of the ‘Occupy Gezi’ protesters. The lawyers called upon the authorities to guarantee the free exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. Reportedly, many of the arrested lawyers were mistreated by the police. All lawyers were released shortly after their arrest.
Next week, the KCK (Koma Civakên Kurdistan) trial in Silivri, in the context of which 47 lawyers were arrested in November 2012, will continue. A L4L delegation will once more monitor the hearing.
