Faculty joins bars in condemning Turkish crackdown on judges

The leaders of the four bars – Scotland, England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland – took time at a scheduled meeting in London to consider reports of the arrests of thousands of judges following the attempted coup in Turkey over the weekend.

2,745 judges in total have been removed from office, along with several members of the Turkey’s Judges and Prosecutors High Council, Turkey’s highest judiciary board, after the attempted coup by a faction of the military which saw 161 people killed.

Members of the board were removed for links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, the leader of a reformist Muslim movement, whose influence is being blamed for the failed coup.

In a statement, Chantal-Aimee Doerries, QC, chairman of the Bar of England & Wales, said: “We have read with grave concern reports of a substantial number of arrests of the Turkish judiciary over the weekend and are concerned about the possible implications of these developments for the rule of law in Turkey. We are reviewing the situation carefully and have reached out to other European bar leaders to establish more information before determining our next response.”

The statement added that the judiciary and legal profession in any jurisdiction should not and could not fulfil their duties under the threat of arrest.

“This is not the first time this Turkish government has struck at the core of fundamental civil and democratic values,” said Ms Doerries.

“In March, nine human rights lawyers, known for their work in representing minority groups and people accused of terrorism and crimes against the state, were arrested in police raids on their homes.”