A court ruled for the arrest of 14 out of 16 lawyers Thursday with ties to the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) terrorist group's law organization as part of a probe by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office
Twelve lawyers from the People's Law Bureau (HHB) were charged with terror group membership, two lawyers were accused of founding or running an armed terrorist group, while two more lawyers were released by the court under judicial control. The suspects were detained on Sept. 12 in operations conducted in Ankara and Istanbul.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sought the arrest of the suspects, stating that the HHB is one of the organizations linked to the DHKP-C. Accordingly, lawyers working for the HHB were code named as "sportsmen." It added that the group was established by the order of the DHKP-C's central committee, which is on the top executive body of the terrorist organization.
The prosecutor's office said that testimonies of captured militants and secret witness accounts point to the fact that HHB lawyers were acting as couriers for the DHKP-C, providing communication for the group and transmitting messages and orders from DHKP-C executives to arrested or convicted members.
According to the statement, one of the pieces of evidence proving the organic connection between the DHKP-C and the HHB was found after the examination of the corpse of Şafak Yayla, who was one of the DHKP-C terrorists who took part in the hostage taking and killing of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz on April 1, 2015.
A piece of paper with the names and identity numbers of several lawyers from the HHB, ripped to 34 pieces before the act, was found inside the pocket of Yayla's jacket and was pieced back together by forensic medicine experts.
Kiraz was murdered as Yayla and another DHKP-C militant infiltrated Istanbul's Çağlayan Courthouse and took Kiraz hostage in his room. Following an eight-hour standoff, the terrorists killed Kiraz, while special operations units raided the room, killing the militants.
The statement added that the suspects took part in various protests staged by the Halk Cephesi (People's Front), declared a sub-organization by the Supreme Court of Appeals, and had many articles published on Yürüyüş (March) magazine.
Additionally, the two lawyers accused of running a terrorist group actually took part in DHKP-C's propaganda and management activities, the statement said.
The HHB has been taking on the defense of suspects linked to the DHKP-C and other left-wing militant groups since it was founded in 1989, in addition to taking part in various other lawsuits.
One of these cases was that of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, two detained teachers who have been on hunger strike for six months after being sacked for alleged terrorism links in the aftermath of July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
The arrested lawyers were among the many lawyers representing Gülmen and Özakça, whose cases have become a rallying cause for critics of the government and the measures taken after the coup attempt. More than 140,000 public sector employees with alleged ties to Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), PKK or DHKP-C have been suspended or sacked under a state of emergency imposed after the attempted putsch.
The pair, who are being accused of DHKP-C members, began a hunger strike in March, were jailed on terror charges in May and went on trial on September 14 but were not present in court amid growing concerns over their health.
The HHB-linked lawyers were detained two days before the start of the trial, raising questions over the timing. The DHKP-C, although less influential in Turkey than other terrorist organizations such as the PKK, still represents a considerable threat to the country.. Founded in 1978, the militant group was most active during the Cold War years, however, it has revived activities and attacks in recent years.
The group was behind the suicide bombing that targeted the United States Embassy in Ankara in 2013. Also in August 2015, two suspected members of the DHKP-C opened fire on the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and fled when police returned fire.
The DHKP-C also claimed responsibility for non-lethal rocket attacks targeting the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters, the Turkish National Police headquarters and a Justice Ministry building in Ankara in 2013.