It is a lawyer from the People's Law Bureau, Mr. Behic Asci. He is one of the most active lawyers, consequently continuing his lawyer’s job (defense, visits of hundreds of prisoners in a distance of 1000 kilometres) for tens of years.
For a short period, since the new penal code and penitentiary law in Turkey, he also had to fight against the ban to visit his clients in jail. The mentioned law forbids lawyers, ever been on trial (even if not sentenced) in relation with the Anti-Terror laws to visit prisoners or to defend their clients.
Yesterday, lawyer Behic Asci announced in a written statement, that he'll start with a death fast today the 5th April, on the International Lawyer's Day.
By this decision, he once again prooved courage and selflessness in his profession. He will be supported by a group of lawyers who go on hungerstrike.
Here an extract of Behic Asci’s statement from 4th April:
“Tomorrow, 5th April is the International Lawyer's Day. There will be celebrations in many different places today. A lot of words will be spoken. But these words won't cover the reality in our country. In the prisons of our country, outside, on each level of life, we are all confronted with the isolation and censorship of the political power. The basic aim of the isolation attack are the prisons. The F-type prisons who were introduced with the operation called "Return to Life" on 19th December 2000, have become the places of most intensive isolation. In the death fast action against the isolation in these prisons, until today 121 human beings lost their lives.
But the political powers didn't put any step towards a solution. In contrary, they even intensified the isoaltion.
The government tried to hide the reality of 121 deaths by censorship. Obviously, more people will continue to die for this reason. That's why myself, lawyer Behic Asci, in my responsibility as a human being and revolutionary lawyer, I'm starting the death fast voluntarily, by free will power. My demand is to end the isolation politics in the prisons and that the political responsibles start their dialogue with the representatives of the prisoners and convicts and to come to an agreement."