Hundreds of students are in jail in Turkey for peacefully expressing their political opinions; some have been there for decades without having had access to any proper judicial process. These students are some of the forgotten victims of the Turkish state; people who have called for peaceful, democratic reforms, those who have exercised their right to freedom of expression in an increasingly authoritarian and oppressive European country.
Please come to this special meeting to hear from visiting academic Ipek Ozel, a lecturer at Bilgi University in Istanbul, who has fearlessly acted as a McKenzie friend for many of these detainees over the years. She will be joined by Margaret Owen, an associate tenant at Bedford Row, who had the opportunity to observe a hearing in one of these trials in Istanbul. See her blog here: http://9bri.com/the-advent-of-the-trials-of-university-students-in-istanbul/ and Ali Has, British/Kurdish solicitor will speak about the current state of justice under the state of emergency in Turkey.
Gillian Higgins, barrister 9 Bedford Row, will chair the meeting.
This event will take place at: 6pm, Nine Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4AZ
Speaker biographies:
1. Ipek Ozel: Lecturer Bilgi University, Istanbul, specialising in communications, ethnographic research strategy and leadership; a high profile campaigner for detained students over the last 4 years.
2. Margaret Owen: barrister with a wealth of experience in Turkish issues; observer of countless trials including one in relation to detained students, tireless campaigner on the Kurdish Question.
3. Ali Has: British-Kurdish solicitor, specialist in Turkish/Kurdish affairs and legal system.
4. Gillian Higgins: has developed an international criminal law practice that has involved cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the trial of a former head of State, at the International Criminal Court and the UN ad-hoc International Tribunals. She is regarded as one of the leading lawyers in her field of expertise.
Nine Bedford Row
London WC1R 4AZ
Telephone: 020 7489 2727
Source: http://9bri.com/criminalisation-of-students-in-turkey-30th-november-9-bedford-row-chambers/