In partnership with the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project, a nonprofit organization that assists asylum seekers and immigrant detainees, Mintz has represented Ali since the beginning of his asylum case. The case team, including several Mintz attorneys and project analysts, prepared and filed a raft of documents, including an application with voluminous exhibits as well as a brief, supplemental report, and complaint supporting Ali’s claim, while also working to ensure his employment authorization did not lapse over the years the case was pending.
The work Ali has done, and continues to do, to fight for the rule of law and an independent judiciary in Turkey is incredibly important. It has been a privilege to help him through our work on his asylum application.
Member
Caitlin A. Hill
Obtaining Justice
for Judges
Pro Bono Team
Kerime S. Akoglu
Associate
Caitlin A. Hill
Member
Andrew H. DeVoogd
Member
Susan J. Cohen
Member / Founder and Chair Emeritus, Immigration
In October 2022, a few days before his daughter’s tenth birthday, Ali learned that he had been granted asylum. While he has not seen his daughter in six years, he hopes that this grant will facilitate his being reunited with her and his wife.
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In July 2016, Turkish judge “Ali Veli” was finishing his graduate studies in the United States when a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces attempted a coup. The Turkish government quickly suppressed the uprising, but in response, started labeling ordinary citizens viewed as unsupportive of the ruling party as “terrorists” and subjecting them to arrest, imprisonment, and torture.
Lead Attorneys
Supporting Team
Hana Sahdev
Former Mintz attorney
Alishba Kassim
Former Mintz attorney
Mallory Goodwin
Former Mintz attorney
Juan S. Steevens
Practice Group Associate
Morgan Sandhu
Former Project Analyst
Mattie Haag
Former Project Analyst
Sarah Engell
Former Project Analyst
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR)
Project
Many judges were among the first targets, and government officials
quickly dismissed Ali and his wife, who was a civil servant, from their posts,
canceled their passports, and froze their bank accounts. While Ali’s wife
and three-year-old daughter were able to go into hiding in their home country, Ali remained in the United States and began a six-year odyssey
to obtain asylum.
While pursuing his asylum claim, Ali courageously spoke out about the absence of the rule of law in Turkey, including in presentations before Congress, the American Bar Association, and state bar associations. This advocacy was a continuation of his long-standing support of human rights and the rule of law. During his years on the bench, Ali was active in national and international legal associations devoted to these principles.
Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project
Pro Bono Team
Morgan Sandhu
Former Project Analyst
Mattie Haag
Former Project Analyst
Sarah Engell
Former Project Analyst
Hana Sahdev
Former Mintz attorney
Alishba Kassim
Former Mintz attorney
Mallory Goodwin
Former Mintz attorney
Juan S. Steevens
Practice Group Associate
Kerime S. Akoglu
Associate
Caitlin A. Hill
Member
Andrew H. DeVoogd
Member
Susan J. Cohen
Member / Founder and Chair Emeritus, Immigration
Supporting Team
Lead Attorneys
mintz
pro bono portfolio
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