ISTANBUL - Lawyer Sezin Uçar, who was beaten in custody, was accused of visiting her arrested client, reminding her client of his right to remain silent, and meeting with those with "criminal records".

 

Lawyer Özlem Gümüştaş, co-chairperson of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), and Sezin Uçar, a member of the Law Bureau of the Oppressed (EHB), were detained at the Istanbul Courthouse, where they went on September 5, within the scope of an investigation opened against them. Gümüştaş and Uçar, who were arrested on the allegation of "being a member of a terrorist organization" and held at the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command, announced that they were tortured by soldiers after they objected to having a hair sample taken from them by force on September 6.

 

Gümüştaş and Uçar, who were taken to the Istanbul Courthouse on September 7, were released on condition of judicial control. Lawyer Sezin Uçar talked about what she got through and the violations she was exposed to during detention.

 

A HAIR SAMPLE WAS TAKEN THROUGH TORTURE

 

Stating that they were unfairly detained for 2 days, Uçar said: "We were forced to take genotype samples during detention. A hair sample was taken from us by force after we refused to give a blood sample. A hair sample was taken by force, by joining our arms from behind and under torture. We filed a criminal complaint against this."

 

LAWYER ACTIVITIES ARE CRIME!

 

Stating that the activities of the legal profession are being accused, Uçar said: "There is no issue that requires genotype matching and that this is against the law. In addition, genotype matching is a right to 'not give adverse evidence' under both national and international legislation, especially the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)."

 

CRIME: VISITING CLIENT

 

Underlining that the questions asked to them during the deposition were within the scope of their professional activities, Uçar said: “For example, reminding a person of his right to remain silent. As part of our legal profession, we protect the legal interests and interests of our clients. Naturally, we can advise a client who is under torture to exercise his right to remain silent. This is not an issue that can be blamed. The number of times we visited our client in prison, the fact that we traveled by plane with people with criminal records, or the hotel records of people with criminal records are not things that can be accused, but they were. We are lawyers. There is nothing more natural than visiting people about whom there is an investigation or trial.``

 

INTIMIDATION AND PRESSURE POLICIES

 

Evaluating the operation against them as a reflection of the government's pressure on both lawyers and society, Uçar said: "We are the lawyers of the oppressed. As a lawyer, we follow the cases of political prisoners and work as union lawyers, and that this disturbs the government. We want to be able to torture easily. They want no one to protect the people detained for protesting, no one to represent them, or no one to visit the captives. We are making various applications to break the isolation policy that is felt very heavily both in İmralı and other prisons. We are waging a legal struggle. In fact, they want to prevent these. Noting that the pressures are part of the intimidation policies."

 

MA / Rukiye Adıgüzel