Human Rights Watch (HRW) and 11 other international legal and rights groups on Wednesday called on a Türkiye court to dismiss ongoing proceedings against the Istanbul Bar Association (ISBA) executive board. The groups filed an amicus curiae brief with the Istanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court, arguing that the charges and civil sanctions against the ISBA violate Türkiye’s international human rights obligations.

The case centers on a December 21, 2024, statement in which the ISBA condemned the reported killing of two Kurdish journalists in a drone strike in northern Syria and urged the release of protesters detained during a demonstration in Istanbul the same day. Prosecutors charged the ISBA president and ten board members with “propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “disseminating misleading information.” In a parallel case in March 2025, the Istanbul 2nd Civil Court of First Instance ordered the removal of the ISBA board, finding it had exceeded its authority. That ruling is currently under appeal.

The 12 rights groups, which include HRW, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, stressed that the ISBA acted within its legal mandate to defend human rights and the rule of law. They argued that both the criminal charges and the civil dissolution proceedings constitute retaliation for lawful professional activity.

The brief further criticized Türkiye’s reliance on vague anti-terrorism and “disinformation” provisions, warning they lack the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality under international law. The organizations emphasized that no reasonable interpretation of the ISBA’s statement suggested incitement to violence or support for terrorism.

Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, described the prosecution as “emblematic of a systemic pattern” of targeting lawyers and legal institutions in Türkiye. Thierry Wickers, president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, said the case was “an attack on the very idea of an independent legal profession.” Baroness Helena Kennedy of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute called the proceedings “legally indefensible and politically alarming.”

The organizations urged the court to dismiss the case, stating that bar associations must be free to raise legal and human rights concerns without intimidation or sanction.