Turkey: Demirtas asks Kurdish nation to support him before court appearance

December 8, 2018

In a letter addressed to fellow Kurds, former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas said he is being persecuted and imprisoned because of his ethnic identity and is appealing for support

“I am writing this letter in a confinement cell at the heavy penalties prison where I have been jailed for more than two years,” read his letter.

Nearly 5,000 HDP members have been imprisoned by the Turkish state.

“Nine HDP MPs and 58 mayors are still in prison. We are being flagrantly persecuted and we have been put in jail because of our Kurdish ethnic identity, involvement in politics, and call for our peoples’ lives and properties to be protected – which is our right,” Demirtas said in a statement.

He communicates through his lawyer.

“I am calling on you for support and coordination. I call on you to help us in our endeavors for freedom and democracy. I have confidence you will you will work to convey our message and communicate our voices to the international community. The question is as important as life and death.

Demirtas will face another round of judicial proceedings on Wednesday.

“Therefore I am calling on you to be present in the trial, if possible. I am grateful for your support and coordination in convey our message,” Demirtas wrote.

He is facing 142 years on multiple charges stemming from allegations of ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). But his Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which he led before his arrest and detention, says the case against him is political.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in November that Turkey should end its pre-trial detention of Demirtas pending his appeal and found several instances of human rights violations by the courts in the handling of his case.

…

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/08122018

https://ahvalnews.com/selahattin-demirtas/jailed-kurdish-politician-pens-letter-le-monde-asks-international-solidarity

https://stockholmcf.org/demirtass-lawyer-selected-as-lawyer-of-the-week-by-the-times/?fbclid=IwAR3doZ3E4xinawar28s63lJdKfHmdrW2Wp7N-zxSzxVVryCEeltJotijdsE

https://stockholmcf.org/demirtass-lawyer-selected-as-lawyer-of-the-week-by-the-times/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/367880/selahattin-demirtastan-le-mondea-mektup (TURKCE)

https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2018/12/06/selahattin-demirtas-aujourd-hui-c-est-mon-tour-de-vous-demander-soutien-et-solidarite_5393662_3232.html (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F (FRANCAIS)

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

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Turkey/ECHR: Local court rejects Demirtaş’s appeal for release despite ECtHR ruling

November 30, 2018

The Ankara 19^th High Criminal Court on Friday rejected a request for release filed by Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş which was based on a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling that his pre-trial detention had gone on longer than could be justified.

The court decided to ask Turkey’s Justice Ministry whether the ECtHR ruling was final.

Former co-chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Demirtaş has been in pre-trial detention since November 2016 along with the other former co-chair, Figen Yüksekdağ.

“The Court found that the judicial authorities had extended Mr Demirtaş’ detention on grounds that could not be regarded as ‘sufficient’ to justify its duration,” the Strasbourg-based ECtHR said in a statement on Nov. 20.

The ECtHR ruled that Ankara “was to take all necessary measures to put an end to the applicant’s pre-trial detention.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to the ECtHR decision by saying that the European court’s rulings did not bind Turkey.

https://www.turkishminute.com/2018/11/30/local-court-rejects-demirtass-appeal-for-release-despite-ecthr-ruling/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/turkish-court-selahattin-demirtas-jail-echr-181130140610828.html

https://www.voanews.com/a/turkish-court-rules-to-keep-ex-kurdish-party-leader-in-jail/4681142.html

https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/turkish-politician-to-remain-in-jail/news-story/4d7852777fc0d2750052fb0afe3740df

https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/30/turkish-court-rules-to-keep-kurdish-politician-demirtas-in-jail-lawyer

https://www.turkishminute.com/2018/12/04/regional-appeals-court-upholds-kurdish-politician-demirtass-sentence/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F

https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/speak-out-for-people-in-turkey/?fbclid=IwAR3jvH1NNtY6dLqrcDhHD_zAHAQ7iYDS7vOwtpIg9YZxTGU5B0dYEiillvw (SIGN THE PETITION!)

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye/1156456/Mahkemeden_Selahattin_Demirtas_karari.html (TURKCE)

https://www.demokrathaber.org/siyaset/selahattin-demirtas-beklesinler-durusmaya-geliyorum-soyleyeceklerim-h110484.html (TURKCE)

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2018/11/30/turquie-la-demande-de-liberation-de-l-opposant-kurde-demirtas-rejetee_5390970_3210.html (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F (FRANCAIS)

https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/nachrichten-ruckblick-abend-die-wichtigsten-news-vom-30-november-2018-165738676.html (DEUTSCH)

https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-justicia-turca-mantiene-rejas-politico-kurdo-demirtas-pese-fallo-estrasburgo-20181130140137.html (ESPANOL)

https://observador.pt/2018/11/30/tribunal-turco-rejeita-libertacao-do-opositor-curdo-selahattin-demirtas/ (PORTUGUES)

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

Turkey/ECHR: European human rights court orders Turkey to free Kurdish leader Demirtas

November 20, 2018

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ordered the government of Turkey to release Kurdish political leader Selahattin Demirtas from a now two-year-long pre-trial detention.

The Strasbourg-based court unanimously held that the Turkish state had to “take all necessary measures to put an end” to Demirtas’ continued detention, which it deemed unlawful.

The verdict by the ECtHR on the Demirtas vs. Turkey case came 21 months after the former Co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) applied to the court, accusing Turkey of grave rights violations.

His lawyers argued that Demirtas’s initial pre-trial detention and its continuation were executed arbitrarily by the Turkish authorities and that the duration of his detention has been excessive.

They said that relevant Turkish judicial decisions contained no reasons other than mere citation of the grounds for detention provided for by law and they were “worded in abstract, repetitive, and formulaic terms,” essentially accusing the government of abusing the law.

Demirtas also complained that his lack of access to the investigation file prevented him from effectively challenging the order during his detention at a supermax prison in Turkey’s Edirne Province on the border with Greece.

…

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/c68a8056-a5a6-4410-8244-c4992d510dba

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/european-court-orders-release-kurdish-politician-demirtas-181120093432466.html

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1407981/middle-east

https://www.ft.com/content/21c49b22-ecad-11e8-8180-9cf212677a57

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/20112018

https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng-press#%22itemid%22:%5B%22003-6255331-8141045%22%5D

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46274330

http://bianet.org/english/law/202801-application-for-release-of-selahattin-demirtas

http://bianet.org/english/politics/202785-ecthr-turkey-obliged-to-abide-by-judgement-erdogan-it-is-no-concern-of-ours?fbclid=IwAR0XGista_sVIYmCB5MkoWFrDbF6CcEm1wwEaHQZVkpyEMNrJLqLOG5CoLY

https://www.gulf-times.com/story/613690/Erdogan-rejects-European-court-call-to-free-Demirt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F

https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/aihmden-selahattin-demirtas-karari (TURKCE)

https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/son-dakika-aihmden-selahattin-demirtas-karari,mHvcI_jYikqW5F_wgg57mQ (TURKCE)

https://www.haberturk.com/son-dakika-aihm-den-selahattin-demirtas-karari-2227483 (TURKCE)

https://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2018/11/20/la-cedh-ordonne-a-la-turquie-de-liberer-l-opposant-kurde-demirtas_5385982_3218.html (FRANCAIS)

https://www.france24.com/fr/20181120-cedh-turquie-liberer-opposant-depute-kurde-selahattin-demirtas-erdogan-hdp (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selahattin_Demirta%C5%9F (FRANCAIS)

https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-tribunal-europeo-ddhh-insta-turquia-acelerar-proceso-contra-lider-prokurdo-selahattin-demirtas-20181120164501.html (ESPANOL)

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/europaeischer-gerichtshof-entscheidet-ueber-haft-von-selahattin-demirtas-a-1239326.html (DEUTSCH)

https://www.tvsvizzera.it/tvs/corte-strasburgo–turchia-rilasci-l-oppositore-demirtas/44558046 (ITALIANO)

https://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/tribunal-europeu-exorta-turquia-libertar-lider-da-oposicao-pro-curda-23246986 (PORTUGUES)

Russia/France: Complaint over arrest of French musician Marouani in Russia filed with ECHR

November 13, 2018

A complaint over arrest of French musician Didier Marouani and his lawyer Igor Trunov during their meeting with Russian pop star Filipp Kirkorov in 2016 has been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Trunov has told RAPSI.

In the application Trunov accuses police officers of unlawful operational-investigative activities, illegal arrest of the French musician, improper proceedings in an application seeking to open criminal cases against Kirkorov and failure to consider a statement against police officers.

The lawyer insists on the violation of Article 6 (Right to a fair trial), Article 13 (Lack of effective remedy) and Article 5 (Right to liberty and personal security) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In November 2016, Marouani and Trunov were arrested by police on suspicion of extorting € 1 million from Kirkorov. Trunov has written a statement for the police demanding to open a criminal case against Kirkorov over false denunciation, and then against police officers.  A year on, the Presnensky District Court of Moscow ordered the Investigative Committee to consider their demand to open a criminal case against police officers over illegal, according to the musician and his lawyer, arrest.

According to lawyer Lyudmila Aivar, the wife of Trunov, the French musician and her husband were arrested in a bank where they were to conclude an amicable agreement with Kirkorov in a copyright dispute. She said that Kirkorov and his lawyer offered € 1 million to Marouani as part of the settlement.

…

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20181113/291019208.html

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

Russia: Russian lawyer turns to ECHR over Professional Ethics Code

October 5, 2018

Attorney Igor Trunov has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging Russia’s Professional Ethics Code of Lawyers, he has told RAPSI.

Trunov claims that provisions of the Professional Ethics Code discords with the principle of legal certainty and allows to bring lawyers to liability for actions not related to their professional duties.

The attorney earlier lodged lawsuits with Russian courts demanding to declare the Professional Ethics Code inoperative.

According to Trunov, the Professional Ethics Code and the Rules of Lawyers’ Conduct fail to meet the Federal Law “On Legal Practice and Advocacy in the Russian Federation” and contain provisions contradicting with the principle of legal certainty and leading to corruption and abused discretion.

Legal examination of the Code’s compliance with the Russian legislation and anti-corruption examination are necessary, he stated.

However, his claims were dismissed.

The lawyer believes that Russian courts have violated Article 6 (Right to a fair trial) and Article 10 (Right to freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Trunov began challenging the Ethics Code after his disbarment in September 2016. The lawyer viewed the decision to disbar him as strange and unexpected because the Association had recognized his public activity as a disciplinary case. “I have spoken at a news conference about problems existing in the society, specifically about corruption in the bar. This particular speech at a public venue was declared a disciplinary case by the Counsel on the base of the Professional Code of Conduct. But the Code has never regulated public activities. That’s why I think, this decision has a political component,” Trunov said earlier.

In December 2016, Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court overturned the Moscow Regional Bar Association’s decision on disbarment of Trunov and ordered restoration of his attorney status.

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20181005/288550667.html

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

Azerbaijan: ICJ intervenes before the European Court of Human Rights in a case concerning restrictions of lawyer’s rights

September 26, 2018

Today, the ICJ has presented a third party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in Alayif Hasan oglu Hasanov v. Azerbaijan case.

In its submissions, the ICJ stresses that, while lawyers must perform their professional functions in conformity with ethical standards, the systems and procedures in respect of conditions of service, including in respect of admission to the profession and discipline, must not enforce such obligations in a way that impairs the exercise of human rights by lawyers or their capacity to effectively represent their clients.

The ICJ presented the submissions based on the jurisprudence of this Court as well as international standards governing the legal profession.

In particular, the submission addressed permissible restrictions of lawyers’ rights to respect for private (including professional) life under article 8 ECHR and to freedom of expression under article 10 ECHR, as well as the procedural safeguards required to apply such restrictions under article 6 ECHR.

…

https://www.icj.org/azerbaijan-icj-intervenes-before-the-european-court-of-human-rights-in-a-case-concerning-restrictions-of-lawyers-rights/

https://www.echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=home

https://lawyersforlawyers.org/en/oral-statement-on-upr-outcome-2/

https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/view/-/asset_publisher/ugj3i6qSEkhZ/content/commissioner-mijatovic-intervenes-before-the-european-court-of-human-rights-in-the-case-of-emin-huseynov-v-azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: Intigam Aliyev c. Azerbaïdjan (CEDH)

le 20 septembre, 2018

Un avocat et défenseur des droits de l’homme accusé d’exploitation d’entreprise illégale, de détournement de fonds et de fraude fiscale, fait condamner 5 fois l’Azerbaïdjan.

(L’Observatoire des Avocats Facebook, 20/09/18)

Dépêches JurisClasseur – Actualités

Mercredi 26 Septembre 2018

Public 26-09-2018 Acharnement judiciaire contre un avocat militant des droits de l’homme La CEDH a jugé le 20 septembre 2018 que la détention d’un avocat défenseur des droits de l’homme accusé d’exploitation d’entreprise illégale, de détournement de fonds et de fraude fiscale visait à le réduire au silence et à le punir pour ses activités. Elle ne poursuivait aucun des buts légitimes prévus par la Convention EDH. Le parquet général d’Azerbaïdjan a ouvert une enquête contre l’un de ses ressortissants, un avocat. L’enquête porte sur des irrégularités présumées dans les activités financières d’un certain nombre d’organisations non gouvernementales, dont l’association du ressortissant visé par l’enquête. Des poursuites pénales furent engagées contre ce dernier pour exploitation d’entreprise illégale, fraude fiscale de grande ampleur et abus de pouvoir aggravé. Il est arrêté et placé en détention. Tous ses recours contre sa mise en détention furent écartés. Son domicile ainsi que le bureau qu’il occupait dans son association furent perquisitionnés et divers documents et objets furent saisis, dont des dossiers concernant des requêtes introduites devant la Cour. Les tribunaux internes rejetèrent les plaintes de l’intéressé selon lesquelles ces mesures étaient illégales. ll fut reconnu coupable et condamné à une peine de prison, avant d’être libéré. Il a introduit une requête devant la CEDH. Son procès fait l’objet d’une requête distincte. L’avocat azerbaïdjanais a soulevé plusieurs violations de la Convention EDH. Il a allégué que son état de santé était incompatible avec la détention et qu’il avait été privé de soins médicaux appropriés pendant son placement en détention (article 2 sur droit à la vie et article 3 sur l’interdiction des traitements inhumains et dégradants) ; s’est plaint de ses conditions de détention et de transfert vers le tribunal ; conteste la perquisition de son domicile et de son bureau (article 8 sur le droit au respect de la vie privée et familiale) ; considère que son arrestation et sa détention avaient porté atteinte à son droit découlant de l’article 11 (liberté de réunion et d’association) ; affirme que ses droits avaient été restreints à des fins autres que celles prévues par la Convention (article 18 sur la limitation de l’usage des restrictions aux droits). Dans son arrêt de chambre, la CEDH a estimé qu’il y a eu : – violation de l’article 3 (interdiction de la torture) de la Convention EDH relativement aux conditions de la détention provisoire du requérant, et non-violation de l’article 3 relativement aux soins qui lui ont été prodigués en détention et aux conditions de sa détention ultérieure ; – violation de l’article 5 § 1 (droit à la liberté et à la sûreté) du fait de l’absence de raisons plausibles de le soupçonner d’avoir commis une infraction pénale pour justifier sa détention ; – violation de l’article 5 § 4 (contrôle de la détention) à raison de l’absence de contrôle juridictionnel adéquat de la légalité de sa détention ; – violation de l’article 8 (droit au respect de la vie privée et des communications) du fait de la perquisition de son bureau et de son domicile ; – violation de l’article 18 (limitation de l’usage des restrictions aux droits) en ce que la Cour estime que les mesures prises contre le requérant visaient à le réduire au silence et à le punir pour ses activités de défense des droits de l’homme et ne poursuivaient aucun des buts légitimes prévus par la Convention. La Cour juge en particulier que cette affaire s’inscrit dans une « tendance troublante à l’arrestation et à la détention arbitraires de personnes critiques du gouvernement, de militants de la société civile et de défenseurs des droits de l’homme ». Elle appelle le Gouvernement à adopter des mesures pour protéger ces personnes en veillant à ce qu’elles ne fassent plus l’objet de poursuites en représailles à leurs activités ni d’un recours abusif au droit pénal.

Sources : CEDH, 20 sept. 2018, n° 68762/14, A. c. Azerbaïdjan

https://www.dalloz-actualite.fr/flash/violation-des-droits-d-un-avocat-defenseur-des-droits-de-l-homme#.W7YPB2gzbIU

http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-186126   (ENGLISH)

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-intigam-aliyev (ENGLISH)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intiqam_Aliyev (ENGLISH)

https://www.meydan.tv/en/site/news/30563/ (ENGLISH)

http://oc-media.org/echr-rules-jailing-of-azerbaijani-rights-lawyer-politically-motivated/ (ENGLISH)