Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), lawyer Serdar Çelebi said that the decision regarding his client, Leyla Güven, who was sentenced to 22 years and 3 months in prison and detained on the accusation of “being a member of a terrorist organization” and “propagandizing a terrorist organization” due to her duties as the co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), was scandalous.
The lawyer added that the arrest is against the procedure specified in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK). “It is clear in the CMK that an arrest warrant cannot be issued without hearing the defendant, this is an imperative provision. There can be no arrest in absentia. Such an arrest is without a legal basis. It is an arrest that does not exist in the legal world. A crime is actually taking place right now.”
Çelebi also drew attention to the fact that in reality the government wants to criminalise the DTK and for this it was used as a reason for the arrest of Leyla Güven. “The DTK is a congress that has been operating with the knowledge of the state and with the knowledge of the public since 2007.”
The lawyer also pointed to the fact that “the DTK is a legal institution and therefore DTK activities cannot constitute evidence for the accusations of members of that organization.”
Lawyer Çelebi added: “We are also worried because two hours after her arrest, Leyla Güven was transferred to another prison. This transfer cannot be explained as an ordinary transfer. Therefore, personal and discretional rules are applied. We are seriously concerned about the health problems of Leyla Güven.”