An Istanbul court on Friday acquitted the president and executive board members of the Istanbul Bar Association (IBA) of terrorism-related charges. The ruling marks a significant development amid sustained criticism of Türkiye’s use of criminal law against lawyers and professional associations.
The case arose from a public statement issued by the IBA in December 2024 addressing the killing of two journalists in northern Syria and the detention of journalists and lawyers during a related peaceful protest in Istanbul. Prosecutors alleged that the statement amounted to “spreading terrorist propaganda” and “disseminating misleading information,” relying on Türkiye’s anti-terrorism and penal code provisions. Following hearings this week held before Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 26, the court acquitted all 11 members of the association’s elected leadership on both charges.
Ahead of the ruling, a coalition of human rights and legal organizations warned that the prosecution represented a misuse of counter-terrorism legislation and an unlawful interference with the independence of the legal profession. They argued that the Bar Association acted within its statutory mandate to comment on human rights and rule of law concerns, and that criminalizing such expression violated international legal standards protecting freedom of expression and association.
The proceedings were widely viewed as part of a broader pattern of pressure on lawyers and bar associations in Türkiye. International observers, including UN experts, have repeatedly raised concerns about the use of counter-terrorism and misinformation laws to target legal professionals for their advocacy and representation of clients. These practices, they warn, undermine the right to a fair trial and weaken safeguards essential to judicial independence.
UN human rights experts have also expressed alarm over the continued application of Türkiye’s counter-terrorism framework against lawyers and human rights defenders in other cases, citing arbitrary arrests, prosecutions based on professional activity, and lengthy prison sentences.
While the acquittal has been welcomed as a positive step, rights groups caution that structural reform remains necessary to prevent similar prosecutions. They have urged Turkish authorities to end parallel civil proceedings targeting the Bar Association’s leadership, ensure the independence and self-governance of bar associations, and align domestic law with international standards governing the legal profession.
