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On December 3rd, demonstrations were held in Istanbul and 40 provinces of Turkey, protesting lengthy pre-trial detentions, mass custodies and arrests, and called for the abolishment of Turkey’s draconian anti-terrorist law. In Istanbul alone, some 2000 persons, including the Deputy Chair of the CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party, engineers, architects and doctors joined in the demonstration.
As we noted in a previous blog, thousands of Turkish citizens have been imprisoned and await trials—some for over two years–under this law. Those arrested and imprisoned have even included lawyers defending others who were incarcerated.
In its most recent Annual Human Rights Report, Amnesty International again underlined the violations of freedom of speech carried out under the anti-terrorism law.
The anti-terrorism laws, carrying higher prison sentences and resulting in pre-trial detention orders, were used to stifle legitimate free expression. Kurdish political activists, journalists and human rights defenders were among those most frequently prosecuted.
On December 1st, Turkish president Abdullah Gul, in a response to questions submitted by internet users, said “[t]he lengthy detentions are becoming a punishment and I’m really disturbed. The trials must be accelerated. The crimes of those people, if any, must be determined as soon as possible, or else they must be set free.” We can only hope President Gul’s statement will soon be translated into action by the Turkish government. Meanwhile, large numbers of Turkish lawyers, human rights defenders, politicians, academics, writers and publishers continue to remain locked up, victims of an anti-terrorism law desperately in need of repeal.
A chimney sweep's boy found a jewel encrusted with precious stones. He took it to a goldsmith to have it valued. The goldsmith's apprentice looked at it, sneakily removed the stones, told the boy it was worth three halfpence and that he would buy it. The boy said he would prefer the jewel back, so the apprentice gave it to him, but without the stones.
In other countries, like Venezuela, no one may appear before a judge unless represented by a lawyer
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Maybe this will solve the cases of many of those who have been detained for years while awaiting trial, at the same time the turkish officials need to respect journalists' freedom of expression.
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The United Nations has chosen to timetable more of an opportunity to finish a far reaching settlement on universal terrorism, governments ought to change the content keeping in mind the end goal to abstain from doing genuine harm to human rights securities, Human Rights Watch said that. The Toronto Disability Lawyers is supporting for this act. http://www.disabilitylegal.ca/