Turkey Abolishes Controversial Law Denying Detainees' Access to Lawyer

Turkey took an important step toward curbing torture on June 19 when it abolished a criminal procedure code provision that denied detainees, held for offenses under the jurisdiction of State Security Courts, the right to legal counsel for the first forty-eight hours of their detention. Human Rights Watch has long been calling for this measure to be among reforms required from Turkey as part of its accession to the European Union.