An arrest warrant was issued for Diyarbakır Bar President Tahir Elçi. He is taken into custody and referred to the court in Istanbul.
An arrest warrant was issued for Diyarbakır Bar President Tahir Elçi because he said, “PKK is an armed political movement, though some of its actions can be considered as terrorism,” in a TV show. Around 2.00 a.m., he was taken into custody in his office.
Tahir Elçi is accused of making propaganda for a terrorist organization and the arrest warrant reads that he was hiding inside the country in order to make the investigation against him remain inconclusive. It is also claimed that an arrest warrant was issued, since Elçi was nowhere to be found.
Elçi made a release to the public after he was informed that he is indicted and he said that he is waiting in his office in the courthouse to be called to testify.
After the warrant was served, Tahir Elçi went up to police and other lawyers were applauding him. While the police was reading his rights aloud as a formality, some lawyers reacted to them by saying that they are showing off.
“Is Turkey democratic and free country?”
Making some statements there, Elçi said, “A bar president is being arrested because of a single statement. This is a striking event that reveals the condition of Turkey in terms of freedom of speech and democracy. A bar president is being arrested now because of his statements.”
After this speech, the police came to the building and took Elçi into custody. While Elçi was taken out of the building, the lawyers continued to protest. His wife tried to support him by giving her arm to him. Elçi turned back and greeted his colleagues who were there to support him. He said, “This act reveals whether Turkey is a democratic and free country or not.”
Union of Turkish Bar Associations: it’s against the law
Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TTB) made a written statement about the arrest warrant against Diyarbakır Bar President Tahir Elçi:
“It is impossible for us to share an opinion which says that PKK is not a terrorist organization. However, as people can remember from the statements we made about Ergenekon, Balyoz and similar cases, an arrest warrant can only be issued if the conditions that are determined by the law are present. In the law of criminal procedure, it is written that a warrant can be issued if the suspect cannot be summoned or doesn’t respond to the summon. The residence and the office of Tahir Elçi are known. Moreover, Elçi spoke to the press after he was informed that there is an investigation against him and said that he is waiting in his office. So, the arrest warrant is against the law.”
HDP MPs are in front of Bakırköy Courthouse
The people who want to support Elçi, including HDP MPs, are waiting in front of Bakırköy Courthouse. After the bar lawyers declared their support to Elçi with a statement, HDP Istanbul MP Pervin Buldan also made a statement and said that it is a violation of freedom of speech.
