Joint Statement by the International Legal and Human Rights Community on the Actions Against the Istanbul Bar Association
The international legal and human rights community is deeply concerned by prosecuting authorities’ recent criminal investigation and lawsuit against the Istanbul Bar Association, particularly its President, İbrahim Kaboğlu, and the executive board.
January 31, 2025
NUPL
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers is a nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, committed to the defense, protection, and promotion of human rights, especially of the poor and the oppressed.

The international legal and human rights community is deeply concerned by prosecuting authorities’ recent criminal investigation and lawsuit against the Istanbul Bar Association, particularly its President, İbrahim Kaboğlu, and the executive board. These actions stem from a statement issued by the Bar Association on 21 December 2024, drawing attention to the deaths of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, killed on 19 December 2024 in northern Syria while monitoring developments in the region. The statement highlighted that the targeting of journalists in conflict zones constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law and called for an effective investigation into the incident.

In response, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation against the Bar’s leadership, citing allegations of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation” and “publicly disseminating misleading information.” On 14 January 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office escalated its actions by filing a lawsuit seeking the dismissal of the Bar Association’s president and executive board under Article 77(5) of the Turkish Attorneyship Law. The grounds for the lawsuit allege that the Bar’s statement exceeded its professional mandate and constituted conduct incompatible with its official role.

This criminal investigation and lawsuit represent a direct challenge to the independence and functioning of the Istanbul Bar Association, an institution that plays a vital role in safeguarding human rights and upholding the rule of law in Turkey.

The arrest of lawyer Fırat Epözdemir, an executive board member of the Bar Association, on 23 January 2025, upon his return from an advocacy visit to Council of Europe institutions has further deepened these concerns. On 25 January 2025, a judge ordered Mr. Epözdemir’s detention on remand on allegations of ‘membership in a terrorist organization’ and ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organization’. This decision has been strongly criticized by the legal community in Turkey as lacking credible grounds, and reinforces the perception that the investigation may be part of retaliatory actions targeting the Istanbul Bar.

Read the full statement here:

Istanbul Bar Association joint statement from the international legal and HR community final as sharedDownload

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