The right to defence is presently significantly restricted as a result of several legislative amendments, emergency decrees that remained in use after the State of Emergency period ended, the non-implementation of laws and court decisions, and practices such as expulsions from courtrooms by judges, disregard on the part of the panel of judges, and criminalization of the verbal content of defence statements. To facilitate a better understanding of this process, we would like to introduce a very short overview of periods in the last 20 years that mark a significant shift in terms of democracy and democratization in Turkey’s recent history: “Between 1999-2004, in the context of the negotiations for full membership to the European Union (EU), guided by the Copenhagen criteria, the state made various legal amendments in the name of ‘democratization.’ Since Turkey was unable to solve the Kurdish question in a democratic manner and ensure a peaceful environment, On the 24th of January 2019 The Day this reform process came to a halt in 2005 and of The Endangered Lawyer, lawyers remained stationary until 2013. The ‘Peace marching through İstiklal Street, and Solution Process’ that was initiated in 2013 İstanbul. (Capshot from ‘’Shrinking Civic Space 2: Right to Defence’’ video, with the ambition to solve the Kurdish question by Fatih Pınar) by democratic means lasted until 2015. In this interim period, claims/statements regarding ‘democratization’ gained momentum again, but the reform process was completely terminated following the eruption of armed conflicts in July 2015. During this period, Turkey became the stage for dramatic developments such as the intense armed conflict [between the state and the PKK], the country’s military intervention in Syria, and the coup attempt of July 15, 2016. The State 14 A DEFENSELESS DEFENSE of Emergency that was declared all across Turkey on July 21, 2016 was lifted as of July 18, 2018. During the State of Emergency, Turkey was governed by emergency decrees; subsequently the country was/still is governed by presidential decrees.” 22 22 İHD Special Report on Human Rights Advocacy and Repressive Policies against İHD (29.07.2020; Human Rights Association): https://ihd.org.tr/en/ihd-special-report-on-human-rights-advocacy-and-repressive-policies-against-ihd/ OBSTRUCTION OF THE PROFESSION 15