The Ankara Bar Association on Thursday released a statement reporting that four Gülen followers who turned up in police custody after being missing since February are not allowed to see any lawyers.
According to the statement, both the lawyers tasked by the bar and those retained by the four individuals’ family members were prevented by the police from seeing the detainees.
“It is an obligation both under domestic law and according to the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR] to ensure the detained suspects’ access to an attorney,” the statement said.
The Ankara police on Sunday night called the families of Salim Zeybek, Özgür Kaya, Erkan Irmak and Yasin Ugan, who were abducted by police pretenders according to eyewitnesses, stating that they were in police custody due to an investigation into the Gülen movement.
On Monday the police allowed families to see their loved ones for only five minutes.
Turkey accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, although it strongly denies any involvement.
Since the failed coup, over 20 abductions have occurred, according to families and eyewitnesses.
Two of them were able to flee Turkey and told the foreign press that they were forced to stay at secret sites where they were subjected to torture and ill treatment by intelligence officers.
They were reportedly forced to give false statements against other Gülen followers.