Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Defenders, came to Diyarbakır from Ankara where he was invited by the Diyarbakır Bar Association. Diyarbakır Bar Association President Cihan Aydın, Van Bar Association President Zülküf Acar, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) Diyarbakır Representative Barış Yavuz, Human Rights Association (IHD) Central Executive Board member Raci Bilici, Rights Initiative Diyarbakır Representative Reha Ruhavioğlu, Diyarbakır Medical Chamber President Mehmet Şerif Demir and Urfa Bar Association board members attended the meeting held in Diyarbakir Bar Association to interview the Legal Aid Service building.

 

VISIT TO İHD

 

Forst then visited the IHD Diyarbakır Branch. Forst met with the leaders of the association, where he was informed about the pressures experienced by human rights defenders, the latest situations in prisons and the right violations experienced in the region.