Istanbul Bar Association statement on the 'murder of worker Erol Eğrek': Not an impulsive act of violence

The statement included the following: "Employer behaviors that led the worker to his death must be meticulously examined, the individuals involved in the murder and company officials must be included in the investigation, and an effective and fair judicial process must be conducted."

The statement is as follows:

"According to information reflected in the press, 48-year-old Erol Eğrek had worked at a facility in Turkmenistan linked to a holding company and had been demanding his labor receivables arising from this employment for years. It has been stated that although he won the lawsuits he filed, the actual value of his entitlements was not paid by the employer.

On May 9, 2025, Erol Eğrek went to the holding company building located in Şişli, Istanbul, to discuss the compensation process, but was severely beaten by a large group of security guards in front of the building and lost his life following this attack.

This murder, which is directly linked to the labor receivables dispute that has been ongoing since 2012, is a very shocking event in terms of demonstrating the current state of our country's judicial mechanism.

This murder has once again revealed that labor and social security law is vitally important for very broad segments of society.

It has shown through a shocking example that solutions cannot be produced by making only narrow academic and judicial interpretations regarding issues such as ineffective, weakened public oversight mechanisms, long-running trials, unimplemented court decisions, the liability of the holding's legal entity, the piercing of the corporate veil, and foreign elements within the scope of the Private International Law Act (MÖHUK); and that effective and rapid solutions appropriate to social reality must be produced.

It is a striking example that the massive problems experienced by millions of workers cannot be solved by academic, theoretical, and increasingly worker-unfavorable judicial precedents, and that the failure to operate judicial mechanisms effectively, as well as unfair decisions and interpretations, can cause new and much larger social problems.

Disputes that remain unresolved regarding fundamental rights such as labor receivables must be handled within the framework of the state's 'duty to protect'.

This murder cannot be evaluated merely as an impulsive act of violence. The employer behaviors spanning years that led the worker to his death must also be meticulously examined. The individuals involved in the murder and company officials must be immediately included in the investigation, and an effective and fair judicial process must be conducted. We respectfully announce to the public that we consider it our duty to remind employers of their judicial responsibilities and that the process will be meticulously followed by us as well."

News Source: 12punto