Rights organizations have strongly criticized the legal actions taken against the executive board of the Istanbul Bar Association (ISBA), describing these measures as a severe breach of Türkiye's commitments to international human rights standards and an outright attack on the autonomy of the legal profession.

The controversy began following a statement from the ISBA regarding the drone strike deaths of Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in northern Syria, an act the board attributed to Turkish forces. The statement condemned the targeting of journalists, labeling it a violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. Turkish authorities, opposing the board’s stance under Article 77/5 of Turkey’s Attorneyship Law, dismissed ISBA President İbrahim Kaboğlu and ten board members.

Legal and human rights entities have labeled the charges as "vague" and "legally baseless," critiquing the reliance on expansive anti-terrorism and "disinformation" laws that they claim do not align with the international criteria of legality, necessity, and proportionality. The independence of the legal profession, they argue, is pivotal for ensuring the right to a fair trial within Türkiye’s legal framework, per Attorneyship Law No. 1136.

Ayşe Bingöl Demir, Director of the Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project, emphasized the broader implications of these proceedings, stating, “The criminal and civil proceedings against the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board amount to retaliation for engaging in lawful, rights-based advocacy. They are part of a broader effort to intimidate the legal profession and silence institutions that challenge state power.”

Several international groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, have shown their support by submitting a joint amicus curiae brief. This collective action underscores the global concern over the treatment of legal bodies in Türkiye.

Furthermore, UN experts and Human Rights Watch have previously expressed apprehension regarding the misuse of Türkiye's counter-terrorism law to suppress human rights advocates and lawyers, particularly following the cessation of conflicts with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party.

This ongoing situation casts a spotlight on the broader challenges faced by legal professionals in Türkiye and raises critical questions about the state of judicial independence and human rights in the country.