Istanbul Bar Association board member detained over 'terrorism' investigation

Turkish police have detained Istanbul Bar board member Fırat Epözdemir at Istanbul Airport over alleged "terrorist group membership," citing his involvement in a 2015 WhatsApp group. The move followed a lawsuit seeking the dismissal of the bar leadership.

Friday January 24 2025 01:30 pm

Duvar English

Turkish police on Jan. 23 detained Istanbul Bar Association board member Fırat Epözdemir due to a "terror investigation."

Epözdemir was accused of "membership in an armed terrorist organization," according to the daily Cumhuriyet.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office alleged that Epözdemir participated in "organizational activities" by joining a WhatsApp group called "Diren (Resist) Cizre," created in 2015, regarding the curfews and civilian killings the Turkish army carried off in the eastern Şırnak province.

Epözdemir had shared on social media on January 21 that he was in Strasbourg, France, for meetings at the European Court of Human Rights. He was detained upon returning to Istanbul Airport on Jan. 23.

Authorities conducted searches at Epözdemir's home and law office.

The Istanbul Bar Association criticized the detention in a statement, asserting that Epözdemir could have been summoned for questioning. The statement read, "Our board member, Attorney Fırat Epözdemir, was detained at Istanbul Airport today upon returning from the Council of Europe's Defense Lawyers meeting in Strasbourg four days ago. Detaining him instead of summoning him for questioning is a clear violation of the law, and the Bar Association is closely monitoring the process."

Yönetim Kurulu üyemiz Av. Fırat Epözdemir, 4 gün önce gittiği Strasbourg'da katıldığı Avrupa Konseyi Savunmanlar toplantısı dönüşünde bugün İstanbul Havalimanı'nda gözaltına alınmıştır. İfadeye çağrılmak yerine gözaltı işlemi uygulanması açıkça hukuka aykırı olup, süreç Baromuzca…
— İstanbul Barosu (@istbarosu) January 23, 2025

The move followed an announcement by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office that it had filed a lawsuit seeking the dismissal of Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and members of the executive board from their positions, with the demand for a new management election.

This followed an investigation of the board members into allegations of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" and "publicly disseminating misleading information."