had been recorded and presented as evidence of crime in the indictment. Many years later, during the State of Emergency after the coup attempt, a majority of the police organising the operation at the time, and the prosecutor and the judge assigned to this still ongoing case were arrested on grounds that they were linked with the Gülen Movement.35 This is a case in Turkey where a great number of lawyers have been put on trial. The indictments would later show that the lawyers on trial were accused of being “members of a terrorist organisation” because of their client.36 35 This is one of the examples of delayed justice in Turkey. Usually, after several years of first-degree trials, the Court of Cassation takes several years to decide and in cases of applications to the Constitutional Court, it takes approximately 3-5 years for the final decision. However if the government is in a hurry to finalize a political case, it occurs. If the case is not a politicized one, it takes years for a final decision. 36 Istanbul 19. Assize Court, File No. 2014/235 E. ATTACKS AGAINST THE PROGRESSIVE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION AND PEOPLE’S LAW BUREAU In January 2013, members of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD) were taken into custody and their offices were raided. A lawsuit was filed against 22 lawyers, nine of which were arrested, including the Association’s Chairman Selçuk Kozağaçlı and lawyers from the People’s Law Bureau (HBB).37 outlets backed the operation and the accusations in their coverage of the case. In March 2014, a year later, the lawyers appeared before a judge. Three-thousand lawyers submitted their power of attorney for the case, and over one thousand lawyers gathered at the courtroom in front of the Silivri Prison to defend their colleagues. Evidently, not all lawyers fit in the courtroom. During the first hearing, the court released all of the detained lawyers. The case is still ongoing in Istanbul.38 38 Istanbul 18. Assize Court, File No. 2014/117 E. ASSASSINATION OF THE LAW: TAHİR ELÇİ Lawyer Tahir Elçi was killed on November 28, 2015.39 Elçi was the lawyer of HRDs and of the Saturday Mothers (Cumartesi Anneleri)—the relatives of victims of enforced disappearances. At the time, he was also the President of the Diyarbakır Bar Association. On October 14, 2015, after having been persistently questioned, Elçi stated that “the PKK is not a terrorist organisation, it is an armed political movement,” during a programme broadcasted on CNN Türk. Consequently, a lynching campaign was launched against him, through mainstream media and social media. Elçi was arrested on October, 20 2015.40 He was brought from his home in Diyarbakır to Istanbul, where the court released him under judicial control. The indictment filed against him alleged that he had “made propaganda for a terrorist organisation” and requested a prison sentence of up to 7.5 years.41 39 Tahir Elci shooting: Pro-Kurdish lawyer killed in Diyarbakir, Turkey (28.11.2015; BBC News): https://www.bbc.com/news/ In the indictment, the lawyers were accused of being members or leaders of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C) and of an attempted murder. As is all too common in such cases, different media lawyersforlawyers.org/en/turkey-dean-diyarbakir-arrested-for-comments-in-tv-interview/ 37 L4L observed hearing in the CHD-1 trial (12.07.2019; Lawyers for Lawyers): https://lawyersforlawyers.org/l4l-observed- 41 The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed a 700,000 TL (at the time approx. 70,000 EUR) fine on CNN hearing-in-the-chd-1-trial Türk because of Tahir Elçi’s statements. 22 A DEFENSELESS DEFENSE av/world-europe-34954856 40 President Diyarbakir Bar arrested for comments in TV interview (23.10.2015; Lawyers for Lawyers): https:// A S S A S S I N AT I O N O F T H E L AW : TA H İ R E L Ç İ 23