UN experts condemn Türkiye over charges against Istanbul Bar Association leaders
United Nations (UN) experts condemned Friday the criminal prosecution of 10 members of the Istanbul Bar Association and its President, İbrahim Kaboğlu, as well as the arrest of board member Firat Epözdemir, after the Bar issued a statement calling for an investigation into the deaths of two journalists in a conflict zone.
“Criminal prosecution in retaliation for the exercise of free speech is an alarming assault on freedom of expression and lawyers’ rights to practice their profession,” the experts said. “This attempt to silence the Bar Association by weaponising the law is an appalling violation of international law and sets a troubling precedent.” On January 25, 2025, board member Firat Epözdemir was arrested and remains in custody. In March, a court ordered the removal of the bar’s elected leadership, citing alleged overreach under Türkiye’s Attorneyship Law.
The Bar Association’s had previously condemned the killing of two journalists reportedly targeted in a Turkish drone strike in northern Syria and called for accountability in a December, 21, 2024 statement Just one day later, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation, leading to charges of disseminating “terrorist propaganda” and “publicly disseminating misleading information.”
The prosecution of the bar association is unfolding against a broader backdrop of democratic decline in Türkiye. Recently, the European Parliament called for a continued freeze on Türkiye’s EU membership negotiations, citing concerns over the country’s erosion of rule of law, politically motivated prosecutions, and the suppression of dissent. Türkiye’s human rights record has also come under fresh scrutiny with the mass trial of 189 people, including students, journalists, and lawyers—who were arrested in protests following İmamoğlu’s March detention. Charges include participating in unauthorized demonstrations and incitement, with potential sentences of up to five years. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the scale and speed of the prosecutions, calling them arbitrary and incompatible with democratic norms.
HRW and legal experts have raised concerns that Türkiye’s routine criminalization of peaceful assembly violates Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights has issued more than 70 rulings over 15 years against Türkiye for breaching protesters’ rights, reinforcing the view that judicial harassment is systemic.
The UN experts have communicated their concerns to the Turkish government and stressed that invoking counter-terrorism or misinformation laws to silence accountability efforts violates international legal standards. “States must guarantee that those who practice law can do so free from intimidation, obstacles, harassment or interference. Their function is key to the right to a fair trial,” they emphasized.
