Istanbul Bar Association board member Fırat Epözdemir has been detained at Istanbul Airport on his return from a European Council meeting in Strasbourg, the association confirmed on Wednesday. Police are still searching his home and office in Bakırköy.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said that Epözdemir’s detention was part of an investigation into board members of the Istanbul Bar Association, including its chair, İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu. The investigation, based on charges against the board members of making terrorist propaganda and publicly disseminating misleading information, has led to a court case seeking the dismissal of the entire board and the election of a new administration. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has also requested the approval of the Ministry of Justice to prosecute on terrorism-related charges.
Authorities launched the investigation following a social media post by the Istanbul Bar Association on 21 December 2024, regarding the killings of Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in North and East Syria. The post allegedly contained statements deemed to be propaganda.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement alleging Epözdemir’s links to the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), an organisation that, though legal, authorities claim has links to outlawed groups. The statement cited a 2015 photograph of Epözdemir with people linked to the Diren Cizre [Cizre Resists] movement and a flag with green, yellow and red colours, the colours of the Kurdish flag.
The Istanbul Bar Association responded to the arrest by condemning the move as a violation of due process, saying that rather than being arrested, Epözdemir should have been summoned to make a statement, because of his status as a lawyer. “The Istanbul Bar Association is closely monitoring the situation,” it said on social media.
Meanwhile, the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) called on all lawyers to gather at Epözdemir’s office in Bakırköy to show solidarity and monitor the police search. “We call on all our colleagues to stand by the defence and join us at the office,” the statement said.
Investigations against members of the Istanbul Bar Association continue and further legal proceedings are pending.
