Turkey detains lawyers backing educators on hunger strike ahead of trial

Turkish authorities issued detention warrants for the lawyers of two hunger-striking educators on Tuesday, days before they are due to appear in court
Semih Özakça (L), Nuriye Gülmen (R).
Tuesday, 12 September 2017 21:19

Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained on "terror" charges at least 15 lawyers from the legal association representing two imprisoned educators on a hunger strike to protest their sacking in an ongoing purge.

The detention of the lawyers from the Office of People's Rights (HHB) comes two days before Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who have been on the hunger strike for six months, were themselves due to go on trial on terror charges.

Fifteen lawyers from the HHB were detained in raids in Ankara and İstanbul, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The warrants were issued for 18 lawyers, all members of two law offices defending the teachers. They are accused of membership of the DHKP-C.

Nuriye Gülmen, a literature professor, and Semih Özakça, a primary school teacher, have been on hunger strike for more than six months after they lost their jobs in a crackdown following a failed coup against President Tayyip Erdoğan. On March 9, they went on a hunger strike to challenge their dismissal and were arrested in May on charges of membership of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), an outlawed leftist group that has carried out sporadic attacks.

There have been growing fears for the health of the pair, who are only consuming salty or sugary water, herbal teas and vitamin B1. Last month, the European Court of Human Rights rejected a request by the two teachers to order Ankara to release them on health grounds.