ISTANBUL, Turkey – A new study, conducted by Istanbul Bilgi University and the Open Society Justice Initiative, concluded that less than 10 percent of criminal defendants in Turkey are represented by a lawyer.  The report is based on empirical data collected from over 600 case files opened in 2000-2001 and closed before 2005.  In addition, the researchers observed 173 court proceedings in Istanbul courts and interviewed over 75 criminal justice actors.

The report, Alone in the Courtroom: Accessibility and Impact of Criminal Legal Aid before Istanbul Courts, found that approximately 75 percent of criminal defendants sentenced to prison were never represented by a lawyer and that in less than 8 percent of the cases were lawyers present at the police interrogations.

Turkey’s Code of Criminal Procedure requires that free legal aid be provided to all criminal defendants, regardless of financial standing.  However, the report finds that only less than 2 percent of defendants exercise this right.  One of the likely causes is that there is a lack of awareness among defendant’s about their right to free legal aid.

For more information, please see:
Open Society Justice Initiative – New Report from Turkey Finds Accused Lack Legal Representation – 6 April 2008

Open Society Justice Initiative – Alone in the Courtroom: Accessibility and Impact of Criminal Legal Aid before Istanbul Courts – June 2007