Lawyers prevented from briefing survivors on rights
A group of lawyers who arrived at Turkey's earthquake zone to brief survivors about their legal rights were prevented by officials of the government's disaster agency from entering a campsite, Turkish news agency ANKA reported on Sunday.
Bir grup gönüllü avukat, hukuki hakları konusunda depremzedeleri bilgilendirmek için gittikleri Adıyaman'da, AFAD yetkilileri tarafından çadırkentlere alınmadı.https://t.co/jxlj6c0Aji pic.twitter.com/6WOS3HPqpl
— ANKA Haber Ajansı (@ankahabera) March 12, 2023
The lawyers from Turkey's Black Sea provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Zonguldak were stopped as they were about to enter the campsite in the quake hit province of Adiyaman, and were told by some officials of the Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) that the governor had given instructions not to let the lawyers in.
One of the lawyers told AFAD officials whether they questioned the rationale of such an instruction, adding, "We are volunteers here, just like you."
An AFAD official replied: "Let's stop arguing. Why don't you make your case to the administrators?"
A lawyer said: "We cannot reach the administrators. There are no administrators around. We are not able to reach the governor of the province, or the district governor."
