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The Law Society of England and Wales welcomes the acquittal of the Istanbul Bar Association president İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu and its board members.

The leaders of the Istanbul Bar Association were charged with “disseminating terrorist propaganda”, in retaliation to a statement issued by the Istanbul Bar Association calling for respect for international humanitarian law after the deaths of two journalists*.

Law Society president Mark Evans said: “We welcome the acquittal of the president and board members of the Istanbul Bar Association and praise our Turkish colleagues who have stood firm in the face of attack and refused to be silenced.

“We are heartened by the quick action by legal organisations around the world in support of the bar and reminded of our strength when the global legal community comes together to protect the rule of law.

“While the outcome is positive this time, the reality remains. The prosecutor’s request for their conviction on terrorism charges is a damning reflection of the troubled state of the rule of law and democratic norms in Turkey today.

“We continue to stand with our colleagues in Turkey and around the world who work to defend human rights and the rule of law in the most challenging circumstances.”

Notes to editors

*Read more information about the statement issued by the Istanbul Bar Association.

The ruling was issued by the 26th Istanbul Heavy Penal Court following the final hearing in the case on 5 to 9 January 2026.

The prosecutor had sought the criminal conviction of all 11 members of the bar’s elected leadership – President Prof. İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu, Ahmet Ergin, Bengisu Kadı Çavdar, Ekim Bilen Selimoğlu, Ezgi Şahin Yalvarici, Fırat Epözdemir, Hürrem Sönmez, Mehmedali Barış Beşli, Metin İriz, Rukiye Leyla Süren, and Yelde Koçak Urfa – on the charge of “spreading terrorist propaganda” under article 7/2 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The criminal proceedings are running alongside a separate civil case stemming from the same social media statement. On 21 March 2025, a civil court ordered the dismissal of President Kaboğlu and the elected executive board on grounds of acting outside the bar’s mandate. They remain in post pending appeal. Read more information on the proceedings.

The Law Society has participated in a number of joint actions condemning the charges, including a: 

• joint statement of January 2025, condemning the initiation of criminal and civil proceedings against the bar’s leadership
• joint statements in April 2025 and January 2026, which deplored the removal of the elected board and the escalating attacks on lawyers across Turkey, and
• a joint amicus curiae brief in which concluded that the proceedings violate Turkey’s obligations under international human rights law and constitute an unjustified interference with the independence of the legal profession.

On 15 January, the Law Society will publish a new report, When Lawyers are Silenced: How Restrictions on Lawyers’ Expression Undermine Rights, Justice, and Democracy, which examines the targeting of the Istanbul Bar Association, among other case studies.

A photo story exploring the pressure on the bar is also featured in our upcoming exhibition, 'On the front line for justice', at 113 Chancery Lane from 20 January to 20 March.

Our Lawyers at Risk programme aims to support legal professionals worldwide who face human rights violations because of their work and raise awareness of the risks they face.