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Ebru Timtik, detained since September 2018 and sentenced in March last year to more than 13 years in prison for belonging to a “terrorist organization”, would soon have his case reviewed by the Supreme Court of Turkey. He died a day after various organizations warned that his life was “for hours, not days.”
The Kurdish lawyer has been without food since January, the possible protest to the authorities to “reinforce the demand for a fair trial”, in a country where complaints of human rights violations are accumulating. In February, Aytaç Ünsal, his colleague at the Progressive Law Firm (ÇHD), joined the hunger strike
At the end of July, a forensic report concluded that they were “in no condition to remain in prison”; Instead of being released, they were sent to two hospitals where their health had deteriorated. Çigdem Akbulut, ÇHD secretary in Istanbul, told BBC Turkish last week that conditions in hospitals were worse than in prison: “Their needs, water, lemon, vitamins, tea, this is what they consume, they are given to them. late or not at all, “he described.
Timtik photographed by activists at the hospital where she was arrested and died
In a statement issued on August 11 by the International Bar Association, the two said they intended to “persist in the hunger strike even if it leads to death.” In that statement, the presidents of 33 bar associations reiterated the demand for their release, arguing that “not only are the lives of Ebru and Aytaç at risk, but their right to defense.”
Weeks earlier, Selahattin Demirtas, former co-chair of HDP (Pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party), called for a solution: “Regardless of political considerations, please don’t let humanity die, please settle the matter, ‘let us live.’
“The Constitutional Court rejected his release because ‘there was no risk of death,'” recalled Gürsel Tekin, a deputy for the opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP), hours after Timtik’s death was confirmed on Thursday. “A politicized justice system means justice turned into executioner,” says Tekin, blaming President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP (Party for Justice and Development) for this death. “History and the nation will judge the AKP regime for the crimes it has committed against justice.”
Humanity and conscience
“The death of Ebru is, in the eyes of all, the death of humanity, justice and conscience in this country”, reacted Zülfü Livaneli, musician, writer and politician. Journalist and trade unionist Ahmet Sik is sure that “this evil will come to an end, but because of today’s silence when that day comes, the Turks will not be able to look into each other’s eyes.”
Timtik and Ünsal’s lawsuit involved 18 lawyers convicted of “terrorism-related” crimes for a total of 159 years in prison. Timtik was convicted on the basis of anonymous testimony that even asked that his statements be not considered “because of his mental state,” writes the independent Istanbul news agency Bianet.
“We fight for justice. And if they release us, we will be able to continue our work in the name of justice, ”Timtik wrote in a letter sent on July 18 through his aunt. “We can do nothing more than the hunger strike. We have our hands tied. That’s what costs more ”.
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