Irish and Northern Ireland barristers voice concern over Turkey

The Bar of Ireland and The Bar of Northern Ireland have joined colleagues in England, Wales and Scotland in expressing concern about the rule of law in Turkey.

Leaders of the four bars in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England and Wales took time at a scheduled meeting in London to consider reports of the arrests of thousands of judges following the attempted coup over the weekend.

In a statement, Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC, chairman of the Bar of England and Wales, said: “We have read with grave concern reports of a substantial number of arrests of the Turkish judiciary over the weekend and are concerned about the possible implications of these developments for the rule of law in Turkey.

“We are reviewing the situation carefully and have reached out to other European bar leaders to establish more information before determining our next response.

“This is not the first time this Turkish government has struck at the core of fundamental civil and democratic values. In March, nine human rights lawyers, known for their work in representing minority groups and people accused of terrorism and crimes against the state, were arrested in police raids on their homes.”

The statement added that the judiciary and legal profession in any jurisdiction should not and could not fulfil their duties under the threat of arrest.