Selcuk Kozagacli, an outspoken human rights attorney and chairman of the Progressive Lawyers Association (CHD), appeared Jan. 29 at his father's grave handcuffed to a police officer. He had been brought to the funeral from his prison cell. A young attorney bending down handcuffed by his father's grave, shoveling soil with one hand, is regarded by many as a cruel and unusual punishment of critical voices in Turkey.
Attorney Didem Baydar Unsal from the People’s Law Office told Al-Monitor that Kozagacli was handcuffed for 26 hours while being transported to and from his father’s funeral. Although security personnel knew Kozagacli was not a flight risk, they did not unlock the handcuffs or let him mourn with his family for fear of their own superiors.