28/08/2020 (Agence Europe) – The spokesman for the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, said on Friday 28 August that the death of lawyer Ebru Timtik, who had been on hunger strike for 238 days to demand a fair trial, showed “the urgent need to address in a credible manner the human rights situation and serious shortcomings in the judiciary” in Turkey. Ms Timtik, who died at the age of 42, was sentenced last year to more than 13 years in prison for ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’. “A strong and independent legal profession and an independent judiciary are fundamental principles of a fair judicial system that respects the rule of law and allows for effective protection of human rights in the country”, Mr Stano told the media. (CG)