An imprisoned Turkish lawyer, who had been on hunger strike for 238 days to demand a fair trial, died Thursday evening in an Istanbul hospital, her office said. "Ebru Timtik, member of our cabinet, fell martyrdom," Halkin Hukuk Burosu cabinet posted on Twitter.
Ebru Timtik'in nabzı durdu. Doktorların kalp masajı yaptıklarının bilgisini aldık. Tüm meslektaşlarımızı ve halkımızı Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk hastanesi önüne çağırıyoruz!
- Halkın Hukuk Bürosu (@halkinhukuk_) August 27, 2020Sentenced last year to more than 13 years in prison for "belonging to a terrorist organization," Ebru Timtik, who was 42, went on a hunger strike in February to demand a fair trial.
Accused of terrorist links by Ankara
Along with Aytac Unsal, his colleague also on hunger strike in prison, Ebru Timtik was a member of the Contemporary Lawyers Association, specializing in the defense of politically sensitive cases.
The Turkish authorities accuse this association of being linked to the radical Marxist-Leninist organization DHKP-C, a group which has committed several attacks and is described as "terrorist" by Ankara and its Western allies.
Ebru Timtik notably defended the family of Berkin Elvan, a teenager who died in 2014 from injuries received during the anti-government protests in Gezi in 2013.
A fragile state of health
Last month, an Istanbul court refused to release Ebru Timtik, despite a medical report indicating that his state of health no longer allowed him to remain in prison. A similar request was also filed in August with the Constitutional Court, without success.
Instead of being released, Ebru Timtik and Aytac Unsal were transferred to two different hospitals in July.
Ebru Timtik, who consumed only sugar water, herbal teas and vitamins during his hunger strike, weighed 30 kg at the time of his death, according to his relatives.
Opposition elected officials react
A few dozen people were waiting on Friday morning in front of the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Council where the body should be autopsied, according to an AFP journalist on the spot.
The death of the lawyer outraged many elected members of the opposition. "Ebru Timtik was sent to death before our eyes", reacted on Twitter Sezgin Tanrikulu, deputy of the CHP (social democrat).
“We lost it because of the blinded conscience of justice and politics. His only wish was for a fair and honest trial, ”he added.
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