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Istanbul Bar Association President Kaboğlu draws backlash for 'Türkiyeli lawyer' remark: 'Do not hesitate to say Turkish lawyers'

Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu faced significant backlash on social media after referring to French lawyers as 'French' while calling Turkish lawyers 'Türkiyeli' (from Turkey) during a speech at a meeting in Paris.

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Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu shared on his X account that he was elected an "honorary member" at the General Assembly of the Union of Bar Presidents, the umbrella organization for 164 French bar associations, in Paris.

In his post, Kaboğlu stated: "These applauses at the General Assembly of the Union of Bar Presidents, the umbrella organization for 164 French bar associations in Paris, are not only because I was elected an 'honorary member'.

At the same time, it is an expression of the sincere solidarity shown in the face of the attacks that our colleagues are exposed to every day and every hour throughout Turkey, especially the lawyers of the Istanbul Bar Association.

It is a greeting sent to all 'Türkiyeli' (from Turkey) lawyers who are struggling to defend the rule of law and protect human rights despite the aforementioned attacks!"

BACKLASH FOLLOWED

Former Istanbul Bar Association President Atty. Filiz Saraç stated, "Atatürk's definition is clear: 'The people of Turkey who founded the Republic of Turkey are called the Turkish nation'.

Mr. İbrahim Kaboğlu, who calls the French 'French', do not hesitate to call us 'Turkish lawyers' instead of 'Türkiyeli lawyers'!"

Another reaction to the term "Türkiyeli lawyers" used in Kaboğlu's thank-you post came from former bar association president Mehmet Durakoğlu. Quoting Kaboğlu's post, Durakoğlu said, "They get to be the French Bar Association, so why do we become 'Türkiyeli' lawyers?"

"WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT THIS"

Atty. Elif Görgülü, Founding President of the 'Önce Avukat' (Lawyers First) Group, also reacted to Kaboğlu with the following words:

Mr. İbrahim Kaboğlu, these applauses you received from French lawyers are a humiliating situation for us, the TURKISH LAWYERS who are members of the Istanbul Bar Association. As a jurist who knows the Constitution by heart and eventually brings every subject to the Constitution, you acted knowingly against the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey.

I ask you; did they give you this honorary award because you called Turkish lawyers 'Türkiyeli lawyers'?

You cannot address the Turkish lawyers who are members of the Bar Association you represent in a place where you represent us with the title of Istanbul Bar Association President and, on top of that, receive an honorary membership award in your own name; we will never accept this. We cannot accept a Bar Association President who introduces us as 'Türkiyeli lawyers' as our President.

Is it that hard to say "I am a Turkish lawyer"!

"OF COURSE, IT DID NOT SURPRISE US"

Istanbul Nationalist Lawyers Group President Atty. Hakan Çatak also said, "I submit this disrespectful attitude, which is clearly unconstitutional, to the appreciation of my colleagues who are members of the Istanbul Bar Association, first and foremost."

In his social media post, Çatak stated:

Since the day he took office, the Bar Association President, who supposedly sleeps and wakes up with the Constitution and is a professor of Constitutional Law, should explain where in our Constitution it says 'Türkiyeli' instead of 'Turkish' so we can know too. When it suits him, he says 'there is a Constitution in this country,' and when it doesn't, it doesn't matter what the Constitution says. This duplicitous attitude, this contradiction, of course, did not surprise us. It would not be possible to expect anything different from a mentality that, despite occupying the Istanbul Bar Association Presidency, has been far from filling this position for even a moment. I submit this disrespectful attitude, which is clearly unconstitutional, to the appreciation of my colleagues who are members of the Istanbul Bar Association, first and foremost. Some may define themselves as 'Türkiyeli'. Being Turkish is certainly not granted to everyone. How happy is the one who says I am a Turk!