Ministry orders disciplinary action against lawyer of jailed pro-Kurdish leader

Turkey’s Ministry of Justice has demanded disciplinary measures be taken against the lawyer Selahattin Demirtas for sharing a photo of the jailed former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on social media.

Ramazan Demir, a lawyer representing Demirtas said on Thursday that disciplinary charges have been opened against him by the Istanbul Bar Association. Demirtas has been in jail since November 2016 on terrorism-related charges.

“Because of this photo, the Istanbul Bar Association has launched a disciplinary proceeding against me on order of the Ministry of Justice,” Demir said tweeting a photo of Demirtas on his official account on Friday.

“Do not have a happy Lawyers’ Day,” Demir added, addressing the bar association, to show his reaction against the incident taking place on Lawyers’ Day, which is marked every year across Turkey on April 5.

Demir stated that the Bakırkoy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has also launched an investigation against him with the permission of the Justice Ministry for posting a photo of Demirtas on his Twitter account.

“I would be offended if they didn’t,” Demir reacted cynically to the prosecutor’s office. The photo, posted by Demir on January 12, 2018, shows Demirtas on the witness stand during a court hearing.

In May 2016, the Turkish parliament lifted the immunity of 55 HDP member lawmakers.

Following parliament’s decision, the attempted coup of July 2016, which claimed the lives of 250 people, gave the ruling AK Party government the pretext to crack down on what it deemed as “terrorist organizations.”

Fourteen HDP MPs were detained on various dates in the aftermath, including the co-chair Demirtas.

Prosecution demands a 142-year prison term for Demirtas on charges of administrating a terrorist organization, making propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and exalting crimes and criminals.

PKK, an insurgent group seeking self-rule in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, is deemed a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Case between Ankara and Demirtas drags on as ECHR refers it to its Grand Chamber at request of both parties

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/04/06/ministry-orders-disciplinary-action-against-lawyer-of-jailed-pro-kurdish-leader/