Call to Action! Join us in Supporting our Turkish Colleagues Ayse Acinikli and Ramazan Demir!

The UIA is joining the movement initiated by its members in support of our colleagues, Ayse Acinikli and Ramazan Demir, who have been detained in Turkey since April 6, 2016.

Along with the lawyers Irfan Arasan, Hüseyin Bogatekin, Sefik Çelik, Adem Çalisçi, Tamer Dogan, Mustafa Ruzgar and Ayse Gösterislioglu, Ms. Acilinikli and Mr. Demir are charged with violating anti-terrorist laws, while in fact, it appears that they are being persecuted for their legitimate practice of law and their human rights defence activities.

These lawyers were denied access to their case until very late in the proceedings, and they were not apprised of the salient facts on which accusations were premised. They were called in for questioning the evening before a hearing at which  they were to appear in defence of 46 other lawyers similarly identified with their clients’ cause and accused of violating anti-terrorist laws. Assimilation of this kind constitutes a breach of the profession’s most fundamental principles.

The UIA has condemned these arrests, which, apart from being arbitrary, violate defence rights enshrined in the international and regional instruments on the protection of human rights that have been ratified by Turkey.

Don’t stand by – take action! Join us in the fight to end abuses against our profession!

-  Write to the Turkish authorities and those of your own countries to express your grave concerns about the fate of our colleagues.  We have attached suggested model letter.

- Take up your pens! Support our colleagues, Ramazan Demir and Ayse Acilinikli, by sending each a post card to the address given below. Attention: In order to ensure that your letter is not censored by prison guards, you must write your message directly in Turkish. Some simple sentences are being suggested below. We encourage you to upload photos of your post cards on the following website:                   https://www.facebook.com/SupportGroupForIstanbulimprisonedLawyers

Model phrases

De?erli Meslekta??m (Dear Colleague)
De?erli Ramazan / De?erli Ay?e (Dear Ramazan / Dear Ay?e)
Avukat olarak meslektasimin yanindayim (I am a lawyer, I support my colleague)
Unutulmuyacaks?n (We have not forgotten you)
Sevgiyle, (Best wishes)
Saygiyla, (Yours faithfully)
Dayanisma ile (With all my solidarity)
Ozgurluk (Freedom)
(New York / Sofia/ Berlin) Barosu seninle (The (New York / Sofia / Berlin) Bar is with you)
Uluslararas? Avukatlar Birli?i seninle (UIA is with you)
Londra’dan / Sidney’den selamlar (Greatings from London/ Sidney)


To write to Ayse ACINIKLI

Ayse ACINIKLI
Bakirkoy Kadin Kapali Ceza Infaz Kurumu
Zuhuratbaba Mah. B6 Kogusu,
Dr. Te fil Saglam Cad.
Lepra hastanesi n°28
Bakirkoy / Istanbul
TURKIYE


To write to Ramazan DEMIR 

Ramazan DEMIR
Silivri 5 no.lu L Tipi Kapali Ceza Infaz Kurumu
F3 Kogusu Alt Blok
Silivri/Istanbul
TURKIYE