NEWS CENTER - 78 bar associations made a joint statement on the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention and said: "We share that we do not give up the Istanbul Convention and we will continue our legal struggle".

 

The 78 bar association chairs in Turkey issued a joint statement on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Istanbul Convention for signature. In the statement, which emphasized that the termination decision would leave women unprotected, a call was made for it to be taken back. The statement, which mentioned that the withdrawal was completely unlawful, said: "We share with the public respectfully that the Istanbul Convention is in force, that we do not give up, we will continue our legal struggle."

 

The following expressions were made in the statements of the bar associations:

 

"On the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Istanbul Convention for signature in Istanbul on May 11, 2011, and being signed by Turkey as the first signatory, we declare once again that the withdrawal from the convention by the Presidential Decree on March 20, 2021, is against the law, the constitution and international conventions. Considering violence against women as a result of gender inequality and discrimination; In a period when we have raised our demands for the effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which accepts violence against women as a violation of human rights, it is unacceptable for Turkey to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention "illegally". The duty of the state is to protect the rights and lives of individuals and to provide a non-violent atmosphere and the right to life by eliminating inequality and discrimination.

 

We, as the undersigned Bar Association Chairs, invite the authorities to call for duty to revoke the withdrawal decision that would leave women unprotected, we share with the public that the Istanbul Convention is in force, that we don’t give up from the Istanbul Convention, and that we will continue our legal struggle."