Lawyers protest isolation of Öcalan at Istanbul Bar Association General Assembly

Thousands of lawyers from the Istanbul Bar Association gathered today at the Haliç Congress Center to elect their new administration. During the two-day council, many groups and independent candidates will compete for the presidency, including current President Mehmet Durakoğlu, Contemporary Lawyers Group Rising Movement candidate Hasan Kılıç, Lawyer Rights Group candidate Gökhan Ahi, Libertarian Democratic Lawyers (ÖDAV) Group candidate Sezin Uçar, and Independent Lawyers Group candidate İ. Şadi Çarsancaklı, Contemporary Lawyer Group candidate Ata Yazıcıoğlu, and Libertarian Contemporary Lawyers candidate İlke Işık.

BANNERS AGAINST ISOLATION AND ATTACKS ON THE KURDISH LANGUAGE

Banners were hung in the hall before the General Assembly to protest the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the oppression of the Kurdish language. Lawyers from the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) hung banners reading “Isolation is a crime against humanity” and “Zimanê me rûmeta me ye” [My language is my honor]. In the hall, a banner with the words “Istanbul Convention keeps alive” was also hung.