Warning from 30 international legal and human rights organizations: 'Attacks on the legal profession are unacceptable'

Thirty organizations, including Amnesty International, HRW, and the New York City Bar Association, have issued a joint statement against judicial pressure on the Istanbul Bar Association and lawyers. The joint statement declared, "The rule of law is being disregarded, and professional independence is under attack."

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

Warning from 30 international legal and human rights organizations: 'Attacks on the legal profession are unacceptable'

Thirty international legal and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the German Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association, have issued a joint statement condemning attempts to undermine the independence of lawyers and the rule of law in Turkey.

In a joint statement released today, an international coalition of lawyers, bar associations, and human rights organizations warned that the increasing attacks by Turkish authorities against the Istanbul Bar Association, its president, board members, and members of the legal profession constitute an affront to the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law.

The statement from the 30 international organizations, which also include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the German Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association, summarized the following:

THE RULE OF LAW IS BEING DISREGARDED

On March 21, 2025, the Istanbul 2nd Civil Court of First Instance ruled for the removal of the elected leadership of the Istanbul Bar Association in accordance with Article 77/5 of the Attorneys' Law. The decision terminates the terms of the bar president and board members and mandates that the Bar Association hold new elections. This attempt undermines the independence of the legal profession and disregards fundamental principles of justice and the rule of law in Turkey.

In parallel, Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and ten board members are being accused of 'spreading terrorist organization propaganda through the press' and 'publicly disseminating misleading information,' with the prosecution seeking up to 12 years in prison and a political ban. These charges and related lawsuits stem directly from the Bar Association's statement in December 2024 regarding the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in Syria, in which they called for an independent investigation into the journalists' deaths. That a professional organization faces criminal investigation for such a principled and rights-based intervention reveals the severe restrictions faced by human rights lawyers in Turkey.

The arbitrary detention of Fırat Epözdemir, one of the board members of the Istanbul Bar Association, is another example of judicial harassment targeting the Bar's leadership. Detained on January 23, 2025, upon his return from an advocacy visit to the Council of Europe, Epözdemir is accused of so-called 'membership in a terrorist organization' and 'spreading terrorist organization propaganda' under an indictment dated April 8, 2025. Epözdemir's ongoing detention and trial reflect the increasing pressure on lawyers in Turkey who challenge state policies and defend human rights.

LAWYERS HAVE BECOME THE TARGET OF PRESSURE

Since the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025, Turkey has witnessed widespread protests across the country and the detention of hundreds of people. Lawyers who intervened to provide legal support during these mass detentions have themselves become targets of pressure. Numerous lawyers in İzmir and Istanbul, including former İzmir Bar Association President Özkan Yücel, who was detained in a dawn raid on his home, were taken into custody while attempting to support detained protesters. Ekrem İmamoğlu's lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, was also detained on March 28, 2025, and released under judicial control conditions.

Lawyers seeking to represent detained individuals have faced serious obstacles in communicating with their clients and performing their professional duties. In many cases, lawyers were denied access to their clients held in police custody, or were only permitted to meet under restricted conditions that negatively impacted confidentiality and effective representation. According to reports, lawyers were not allowed to enter courtrooms during key interrogation processes, or statements were taken by judges in the absence of lawyers. In some instances, lawyers were even prevented from verifying where detainees were being held. Refusing to acknowledge, report, or verify the fate and whereabouts of detainees is an element of the crime of enforced disappearance.

These actions by Turkish authorities constitute direct interference with the right to legal defense, obstruct access to justice, and further criminalize the provision of legal support to peaceful protests and opposition. These actions demonstrate a dangerous escalation in pressure on the legal profession and the erosion of fair trial guarantees and the rule of law.

These increasing attacks reveal a pattern of repression that disregards the judicial process guarantees and mechanisms established to protect human rights and the rule of law. They are also an example of efforts to weaken international standards that protect the role and rights of lawyers and professional organizations in performing their professional functions by targeting the legal profession.

We call on the international community to take the following steps:

An immediate end to all civil and criminal proceedings against the President and board members of the Istanbul Bar Association must be demanded.

The abuse of the justice system by Turkish authorities to suppress the independent legal profession and its institutions, and the undermining of public trust in the rule of law, must be publicly condemned.

Insistence must be placed on the immediate and unconditional release of Fırat Epözdemir and all other lawyers detained solely for performing their professional duties.

Turkish authorities must be called upon to allow the Istanbul Bar Association to operate independently, without intimidation, harassment, or retaliation.

International mechanisms, including the Council of Europe, the United Nations, and European Union institutions, must be called upon to take decisive and effective steps to protect the independence of the legal profession, human rights, and the rule of law in Turkey.”

Signatories:

Amnesty International

Asociación Americana de Juristas (American Association of Jurists, AAJ)

Berlin Bar Association

Défense Sans Frontière-Avocats Solidaires (Defense Without Borders-Solidarity Lawyers, DSF-AS)

Deutscher Anwaltverein (German Bar Association, DAV)

European Association of Criminal Bars (ECBA)

European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH)

Federation of European Bars (FBE)

Foundation of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer

Geneva Bar Association

Giuristi Democratici (Italian Democratic Lawyers)