Eylem Sonbahar
After spending a year in pretrial detention, lawyer Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı has been released under a travel ban following a court ruling in Istanbul.
Kozağaçlı was arrested in February 2024 during operations following an armed attack on a police checkpoint outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse. She has been on trial at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization."
At the third hearing of her case, Kozağaçlı appeared in court escorted by gendarmes. The hearing was attended by representatives from the Istanbul Bar Association, as well as legal organizations from France and Switzerland. Riot police were seated in the section designated for lawyers.
Witness testimony and defense statements
A key witness, Neslihan Albayrak, testified via Turkey’s judicial video conferencing system SEGBİS, stating, "I saw Nazan Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı at Ayten Öztürk's house in 2020 or 2021. She was active in the People's Law Office." When asked by the presiding judge whether she had witnessed any organizational activity, Albayrak responded that she had not.
Defending herself, Kozağaçlı argued that her detention was based on insufficient evidence. "I have been deprived of my freedom for a year. The reasons given for my detention are nothing but excuses," she said. She criticized the judiciary for relying on testimonies from informants who receive reduced sentences in exchange for naming others.
"I have never represented Neslihan Albayrak as her lawyer. I met Pembe Özlem Olgun only in prison. These two individuals submitted statements on the same day from different locations. They saw naming people as an easy way to secure their own release. Giving statements about the People's Law Office has become a convenient way out. Unfortunately, in the judiciary—especially over the past decade—informer testimonies have been turned into serious evidence," Kozağaçlı said.
"We are trying to fight against nonexistent evidence. I believe I have practiced my profession with honor and have been fighting for justice," she added.
Lawyers challenge credibility of witness statements
Kozağaçlı’s lawyer, Murat Yılmaz, questioned the basis of her arrest, stating: "Was my client detained because of a direct connection to the attack outside Çağlayan Courthouse? No. She was in Istanbul that day solely to visit her husband, lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı, during an open visitation. Had she left the office five minutes earlier, she would not have been detained. They needed a statement, and they found one. There are eight statements against Pembe Özlem Olgun, yet we are supposed to rely on the words of a witness who is inconsistent in her claims? None of these contradictory statements should be taken seriously."
Another defense lawyer, Çiğdem Akbulut, emphasized that the witness did not provide any direct testimony against Kozağaçlı. "We believe her detention has been a form of punishment from the start. Her mobile phone was presented as evidence of strong suspicion, but the forensic examination found nothing incriminating. She has 22 years of legal experience and a registered residence in Ankara. If this court insists on continuing her detention, we need to see a properly reasoned decision," she said.
Following these arguments, the prosecutor requested the continuation of Kozağaçlı’s detention. The court then took a recess, during which only Kozağaçlı’s three lawyers and family members were allowed to remain in the courtroom.
Court orders release under travel restrictions
After considering the time Kozağaçlı had already spent in detention, the witness statements, and the evidence in the case file, the court ruled that continued detention would not be proportionate. It ordered her release with a ban on international travel.
The trial was adjourned to May 13.
