News from Berlin

Hans-Litten-Prize Awarded to Turkish Lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı Who is Detained and Undergoing Trial in Turkey

May 19th, 2014
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News from Berlin - Every two years the HANS-LITTEN-PRIZE is awarded by the German Association of Democratic Lawyers (VDJ) www.vdj.de, the German member association of ELDH (European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights).

VDJ awards the Hans Litten Prize in recognition of legal achievements and to a person who, like Hans Litten himself, is uncompromisingly committed to the law, and who does not avoid necessary confrontations with power-political interests and the institutions representing them. In addition, and maybe more importantly, VDJ wishes to encourage laureates to pursue their work, to not give up, and to overcome the obstacles they have to face along the way.

This year the prize was awarded to the CHD(Progressive Lawyers Association) President Selçuk Kozağaçlı. Since he did not receive the permission to leave Turkey he participated at the prize award ceremony  via video conference, as he is pending a trial for over a year for carrying out his work as a lawyer. On March 21st, 2014 he was released on the condition that he does not travel abroad. The proceedings against him give cause for concern.

The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid and Member of the German Bundestag, Christoph Strässer, issued a statement congratulating him, highlighting the concerns regarding his detainment and calling for a fair trial.
News from Berlin - Berlin Global