CALL FOR ACTION
Türkiye: Lengthy prison sentences imposed on ÖHD lawyers and TUAD members for lawful professional and human rights work
Joint statement by international legal and human rights organisations condemning the conviction and lengthy prison sentences imposed on ÖHD lawyers and TUAD members in Türkiye for lawful professional and human rights activities, and calling on the authorities to end the criminalisation of lawyers and civil society.
Photo: Yeni YaÅŸam Gazetesi
We support challenging systemic human rights violations linked to democratic backsliding and state capture in Turkey over the past decade—ranging from concerns around judicial independence and shrinking civic space to the arbitrary use of counter-terrorism laws and the targeting of critical voices. We work with litigators, human rights defenders, civil society and international organisations, offering our legal expertise, strategic support, collaborative spaces and international linkage to advance strategic human rights litigation, ensure effective remedies for those whose rights have been violated, and reinforce engagement with regional and international human rights mechanisms.
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TLSP was founded in 2018 and is hosted by the School of Law of Middlesex University.
"Strategic litigation support addressing Turkey’s rule of law, human rights, and democracy crisis"
The Turkey Litigation Support Project (TLSP) is a collaborative and independent initiative that brings together academics, human rights lawyers and researchers to strengthen legal accountability and address the deepening rule of law, human rights and democracy crisis in Turkey.
Prof. Phillip Leach
Project co-supervisor
Dr. Saniye Karakas
Senior Legal Consultant
Róisín Pillay
Project co-supervisor
Dr. Beril Onder
Project Lawyer
Helen Duffy
Former project co-supervisor
Nina Keese
Project Lawyer
Ayse Bingol Demir
Project Director
Thousands of individuals in Türkiye are serving aggravated life sentences under a legal regime that excludes any possibility of conditional release or sentence review. These prisoners - convicted under laws concerning “State security”, “constitutional order”, “national defence”, or “terrorism” - face lifelong imprisonment without access to a functioning, reviewable, and non-discriminatory mechanism, regardless of the time served or any change in their individual circumstances.
Six months after the elections – Turkey’s role on the international arena
TLSP Director AyÅŸe Bingöl Demir participating in the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023, Roundtable "Six months after the elections – Turkey’s role on the international arena", November 2023, Berlin/Germany
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