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Can Atalay is a Turkish lawyer and human rights defender<\/strong>. He is a member of the Taksim Solidarity group. He defended many political prisoners, journalists, \u201cacademics for peace\u201d, and victims of the Soma mining catastrophe (May 2014).<\/p>\n Can Atalay was arrested several times in relation to the Gezi Park protests (2013)<\/strong>\u00a0and other protests against development projects.\u00a0He will be judged on June 24th<\/sup>\u00a0and 25th<\/sup>, 2019<\/strong>, in Silivri.<\/p>\n Can Atalay notably represented the Architect\u2019s Association, which was contesting the transformation of the Taksim square. He launched many requests and appeals against the Istanbul prefecture and the Turkish State.<\/p>\n He will be judged about the \u201cGezi events\u201d, along with Osman Kavala (who has been incarcerated for 16 months) and 15 other personalities from the civil society. They are all accused of having tried to \u201coverthrow the government\u201d during the 2013 protests.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Can Atalay had been tried for the same facts in 2013 and had been acquitted<\/strong>. In this case, the prosecutor took the same facts and re-qualified them.\u00a0The charges against Can Atalay amount to life imprisonment plus a total of 2970 years of imprisonment.<\/strong>\u00a0This extreme severity is due to the fact that all the members of the 2013 government joined a civil action to the case.<\/p>\n Until March 5th<\/sup>, 2019, Can Atalay did not know on which ground he was prosecuted.<\/p>\n The OIAD\u00a0<\/strong>firmly condemns the intimidation of Can Atalay and the prosecutions launched against him.<\/p>\n The OIAD\u00a0<\/strong>urges Turkish authorities to drop the charges against Can Atalay immediately, and to release all the lawyers who are unduly prosecuted and imprisoned in Turkey for having legitimately exercised their profession.<\/p>\n