Daily Archives: 01/05/2024

South Sudan: Defense lawyer ‘intimidated’ over Kalisto’s case at regional court

30/04/24

The lawyer of Pan African Law Chamber, currently suing the South Sudan government at the East African Court of Justice over the detention of former Juba mayor Kalisto Ladu, said security personnel have harassed and intimidated him and asked him to drop the case.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Tuesday afternoon, Lawyer Wani Santino Jada said two security agents with pistols came to his office in Juba on 24 April and asked him not to proceed with Kalisto’s case at the regional court.

“The two security officers with pistols came to my office on 24 April and asked to meet me. During our discussion, they told me that there were orders from above that I should refrain from pursuing the case, and I felt harassed and intimidated. I could also see their faces changed during our conversation on the issue,” he said.

“When I asked them if the order came from the Director General of the Internal Bureau of the National Security Service or his deputy, they said we are not here to discuss the issue; we are here just to inform you that you should back off from this case,” he added. 

When asked if he fears for his security and life in Juba, Lawyer Wani said: “I don’t fear for my security, but my message to National Security is that let them be professional. Let them produce any person in their detention centre to competent courts based on our laws. The National Security’s job is to collect information, and the police is the only agency that should have powers of arrest.”

[…]

https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/defense-lawyer-intimidated-over-kalistos-case-at-regional-court

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Court_of_Justice

Turkey’s top appeals court upholds prison sentence of prominent lawyer

30/04/24

Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals has upheld a prison sentence handed down to the head of a now-closed lawyers’ association who has been behind bars for more than seven years on terrorism-related charges.

In November 2022 head of the now-closed Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) Selçuk Kozağaçlı, also a prominent human rights activist and lawyer, was among 19 lawyers given 146 years in prison in total on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” by the İstanbul 18th High Criminal Court.

The court convicted the lawyers of membership in the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C) and spreading the propaganda of the DHKP/C, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU.

The court sentenced jailed defendants Kozağaçlı and Barkın Timtik to 12 years in prison each and ruled to keep them in jail during appeal.

The lawyers say their prosecution is politically motivated.

The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals has concluded the appeals for Kozağaçlı and Timtik and upheld their sentences while sending the files of the other defendants to a regional appeals court for review. The top court, however, reduced Kozağaçlı’s sentence to 10 years, 15 days on a technicality.

Kozağaçlı, who was arrested in November 2017 on terrorism charges, angered the government by representing two academics who were fired from their jobs by government decrees, the victims of a mining disaster in Soma in western Turkey in 2014 and many other persecuted people.

[…]

Turkey’s top appeals court upholds prison sentence of prominent lawyer

https://bianet.org/haber/court-of-cassation-upholds-sentences-in-progressive-lawyers-association-case-294816

https://raillynews.com/2024/04/Big-defense-rally-from-lawyers

https://bianet.org/haber/tahir-elci-killing-prosecution-seeks-acquittal-of-all-police-officers-294798

4 judges associations in Europe send letter to Turkish justice minister for release of jailed jurist

https://bianet.org/haber/vandalism-at-the-grave-of-kurdish-lawyer-medet-serhat-294116

https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/hukumluler-ve-hukumsuzler-haber-1676975 (TURKCE)

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/517193/yargitay-selcuk-kozagacli-ve-barkin-timtikin-cezalarini-onadi

https://sendika.org/2024/04/selcuk-kozagacli-hakkindaki-12-yillik-hapis-cezasi-onandi-704786

https://bianet.org/haber/yargitay-selcuk-kozagacli-ve-barkin-timtik-hakkinda-cezayi-onadi-294794