PEN Norway examines indictment that led to the conviction of lawyer Veysel Ok
PEN Norway has examined the indictment against Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Co-Director and human rights lawyer Veysel Ok where he was accused of “publicly degrading the judicial bodies of the state” (Art. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code), as part of their “Turkey Indictment Project” which has been going on since January 2020.
Penned by lawyers Jaantje Kramer and Stella Pizzato from Lawyers for Lawyers, the report begins by Ok’s works in rights defense and summarizes the process that led up to the drafting of the indictment. The summary of the case background highlights that Ok has defended free expression in Turkey by taking on the legal representation of numerous journalists, writers and human rights defenders from a variety of political backgrounds and remarks that Ok is indicted because he exercised his right to freedom of expression.