human rights defender
Selçuk Kozağaçlı
Actions and Campaigns
Selçuk Kozağaçlı
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Organization affiliation
- Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği (ÇHD)
HRD's year of birth
1972
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Lawyer
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Fight against impunity
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
HRD's bio and work
Selçuk Kozağaçlı is a human rights lawyer from People’s Law Office in Turkey. He has been working to obtain justice for the most vulnerable who have been abused by authorities and private companies alike, like the victims of the Soma mine disaster that killed 301 people in 2014.
Selçuk was the President of the Progressive Lawyers Association (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği - ÇHD), a group focusing on the right to life and the prevention of all types of attack on fundamental rights and human dignity. On 22 November 2016, the Turkish government used the state of emergency to close down ÇHD.
On 8 November 2017, the police arrested Selçuk while he was going to a meeting with other presidents of Bar Associations. Selçuk was brought to the Anti-Terror Branch of Istanbul's Security Directorate. After five days, he was charged with “membership in a terrorist organisation” and subsequently transferred to the 9th Block of Istanbul Silivri Prison, a special unit dedicated to “terrorists”. There, he was held in solitary confinement for a prolonged period.
Detained since
Nov 8, 2017
Charge(s)
- Terrorism
Sentence
11 years and three months in prison
Latitude: 41.08861273008599
Longitude: 28.15658662612576
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Istanbul/Silivri
Location of detention - Facility
Marmara Cezaevi
Recent case update / evolution
In September 2018, the Istanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court ruled for his release from pre-trial detention, together with 16 other lawyers. The judge was promptly replaced, and the lawyers were rearrested just one day after their release.
On 20 March 2019, the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court in Silivri Courthouse convicted Selçuk Kozağaçlı, together with 17 other human rights lawyers, all members of ÇHD and the People's Law Office, under trumped up terrorism charges. The prison terms ranged between over three and 18 years. Selçuk was sentenced to 11 years and three months for alleged "membership in a terrorist organisation". Two months earlier, he and four other lawyers had started a hunger strike to protest against the irregularities in the court proceedings and the lack of judicial independence. They only put an end to it upon hearing the verdicts.
On 16 April 2025, Selçuk Kozağaçlı was released from Marmara Prison in Silivri. However, he was returned to prison the day after following an appeal against his release.
Any other relevant documents
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL TUR 7/2024: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29546
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1972
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- Lawyer
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Fight against impunity
- Organization affiliation
- Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği (ÇHD)
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
Selçuk Kozağaçlı is a human rights lawyer from People’s Law Office in Turkey. He has been working to obtain justice for the most vulnerable who have been abused by authorities and private companies alike, like the victims of the Soma mine disaster that killed 301 people in 2014.
Selçuk was the President of the Progressive Lawyers Association (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği - ÇHD), a group focusing on the right to life and the prevention of all types of attack on fundamental rights and human dignity. On 22 November 2016, the Turkish government used the state of emergency to close down ÇHD.
On 8 November 2017, the police arrested Selçuk while he was going to a meeting with other presidents of Bar Associations. Selçuk was brought to the Anti-Terror Branch of Istanbul's Security Directorate. After five days, he was charged with “membership in a terrorist organisation” and subsequently transferred to the 9th Block of Istanbul Silivri Prison, a special unit dedicated to “terrorists”. There, he was held in solitary confinement for a prolonged period.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Istanbul/Silivri
- Location of detention - Facility
- Marmara Cezaevi
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 41.08861273008599
Longitude: 28.15658662612576
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Nov 8, 2017
- Current Status
- In prison (sentenced)
- Charge(s)
- Terrorism
- Sentence
11 years and three months in prison
- Recent case update / evolution
In September 2018, the Istanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court ruled for his release from pre-trial detention, together with 16 other lawyers. The judge was promptly replaced, and the lawyers were rearrested just one day after their release.
On 20 March 2019, the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court in Silivri Courthouse convicted Selçuk Kozağaçlı, together with 17 other human rights lawyers, all members of ÇHD and the People's Law Office, under trumped up terrorism charges. The prison terms ranged between over three and 18 years. Selçuk was sentenced to 11 years and three months for alleged "membership in a terrorist organisation". Two months earlier, he and four other lawyers had started a hunger strike to protest against the irregularities in the court proceedings and the lack of judicial independence. They only put an end to it upon hearing the verdicts.
On 16 April 2025, Selçuk Kozağaçlı was released from Marmara Prison in Silivri. However, he was returned to prison the day after following an appeal against his release.
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Selçuk Kozağaçlı has been subjected to physical violence and prolonged solitary confinement while detained. He has engaged in hunger strikes to protest his detention and treatment.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Any other relevant documents
Joint communication, UN special procedures, AL TUR 7/2024: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29546
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
4 relationships, 3 entities