Lawyer arrests in Turkey condemned by NZ Law Society
MEDIA RELEASE – For immediate use, 14 June 2013
Lawyer arrests condemned by New Zealand Law Society
The New Zealand Law Society has joined the International Bar Association in condemning the arrest of a significant number of lawyers in Turkey.
New Zealand Law Society President Chris Moore says lawyers’ organisations around the world are seriously concerned at the reported unlawful arrests of lawyers at Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey.
“The lawyers were demonstrating on 11 June in solidarity with the Gezi Park protests. They are reported to have been handcuffed and detained for several hours before their release,” he says.
“Arrest of any member of the legal profession without lawful cause and purely because they are a lawyer is a serious attack on the rule of law.”
Mr Moore says the International Bar Association, of which the Law Society is a member, has pointed out that the arrests of the Istanbul lawyers are a breach of the rights of lawyers under the United Nations Basic Principles of the Role of Lawyers.
ENDS