Erzurum Regional Administrative Court finds no reason to lift ban on actions in Van

Van Bar Association applied to Erzurum Regional Administrative Court demanding the lifting of the ban on actions and activities, which has been applied uninterruptedly for 5 years by the Van Governor’s Office. The move followed the ruling of Van local Court that said the ban was proportional. Now Erzurum Court has confirmed the decision despite the ban being contrary to the Constitution and the law.

The ban on actions and activities began on 20 July 2021 and has been implemented uninterruptedly in both the city and its districts. Civil society organisations cannot even hold press conferences in the city where any type of action and activity is forbidden.

Van Governor M. Emin Bilmez had difficulty explaining the reason for the ban at a meeting with civil society organisations and said: “it is a situation beyond us.”

The ban has become permanent.

Van Bar Association applied to the Van 3rd Administrative Court for the cancellation of the ban on actions and activities in 2019 and became a plaintiff.

Van Governor’s Office, in its defense submitted to the court, claimed that the PKK and KCK were trying to gain ground with street protests, and claimed that actions and events could be chosen as targets. Following the governor’s defense, the court rejected the Van Bar Association’s request, finding the ban proportionate and in line with tge law, on the grounds of “ensuring the safety of life and property of citizens”.

Thereupon, Mahmut Kaçan, one of the lawyers of the Van Bar Association, took the case to the Erzurum Regional Administrative Court of Appeal, which also found the ban proportional. In its decision, the Court of Appeal said: “It is understood that the ban is in accordance with the procedure and law and there is no reason requiring its lifting.”

Lawyer Kaçan: Prohibitions are legitimized

Speaking on the subject, lawyer Mahmut Kaçan said: “The lawsuits we filed against the systematic ban were rejected despite being clearly contrary to the Constitution and legal regulations. These bans are accepted as if they were in accordance with the law, together with the decision delivered by the Court of Appeal. Our legal struggle regarding the constitutional rights that the Van Governor’s Office keeps violating will continue.”