site.btaBulgarian Judges Association Calls on Borissov to Intercede with Erdogan for Respect for Human Rights

Sofia, March 20 (BTA) - In a letter posted on its website, the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA) has called on Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to intercede with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for respect for human rights in Turkey.

Borissov will host a meeting of Erdogan with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk in Varna (on the Black Sea coast) on March 26.

"We very much hope that you realize the importance of a Bulgarian statesman showing national dignity, self-confidence, courage and a principled position in standing up for fundamental democratic principles when meeting with foreign State officials," the BJA writes.

"We approach you in your capacity as Prime Minister of a Member State of the Council of Europe and of the European Union. These two most important European organizations regard as paramount values evolving and maintaining a democratic State committed to the rule of law, where the fundamental human rights of every citizen are respected. These values also form the democratic foundation of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, on which you have been sworn in," the letter reads.

The BJA states that dozens of thousands of Turkish citizens were arrested after the July 2016 attempted coup, quite a few of them without legal grounds and without evidence, and they have been tortured to confess involvement in the plot. These people include more than 3,000 Turkish judges and prosecutors, who were detained at one and the same time, and many of them have been held for more than a year and a half now.

"Of course, we condemn any attempt at an anti-constitutional change of government in any sovereign State, including in the Republic of Turkey," the magistrates' organization writes.

The BJA argues that Borissov must take advantage of the forthcoming meeting with Erdogan to intercede for respect for "the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to free and fair trial, regarding all Turkish citizens who are criminally prosecuted in connection with the attempted coup in Turkey and in particular our colleague judges and prosecutors."