Striking question from lawyer Hüseyin Özbek to Bar Association President Kaboğlu: Did you attend as a 'lawyer from Turkey'?

Istanbul Bar Association President Kaboğlu attended the General Assembly Meeting of the National Bar Council of France in Paris.

The "honorary" membership, which the council envisioned for the first time, was awarded to İbrahim Kaboğlu for his "courage, determination, and commitment to the rule of law."

Making a statement on his social media account after the ceremony, Kaboğlu used the term "French" when referring to the bar associations that elected him an honorary member, while using the term "lawyers from Turkey" (Türkiyeli avukatlar) when sending greetings to his Turkish colleagues.

In his post, which drew backlash, Kaboğlu stated: "These applauses at the General Assembly of the National Bar Council of France, the umbrella organization of 164 French bar associations in Paris, are not only because I was elected an 'honorary member.' They are also an expression of 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 lawyers from Turkey who are fighting to defend the rule of law and protect human rights despite the attacks in question!"

LAWYER HÜSEYİN ÖZBEK REACTED

The term 'lawyer from Turkey' used by Kaboğlu was criticized by many of his colleagues. One of these criticisms came from lawyer and 12punto columnist Hüseyin Özbek. 

Özbek used the following expressions in his statement:

"Mr. Kaboğlu,

In France, you did not meet with 'lawyers from France' and 'bar associations from France,' but with French lawyers and French bar associations.

Did you attend this meeting as a Turkish lawyer or as a lawyer from Turkey? 

Was it too difficult to send greetings to Turkish lawyers that you used the term 'lawyers from Turkey'?"