Lawyer Firat Epözdemir, a member of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul Bar Association, was released on probation at the first hearing. Epözdemir argued that his arrest was political, while the head of the bar association, ?brahim Kabo?lu, said that the investigation into the bar association management collapsed with the release decision.The first hearing of the case in which Istanbul Bar Association Board Member F?rat Epözdemir is being tried for “membership of a terrorist organization” and “propaganda for a terrorist organization” due to the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) was held at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court.
At the same time, there was a hearing in the case where the Istanbul Bar Association Board of Directors were being tried for making a statement about journalists Naz?m Da?tan and Cihan Bilgin who were killed in a UAV attack in northern Syria. This case was postponed to a later date (September 9-10) because the defendant lawyers attended Epözdemir’s hearing.
The hearing was watched by many bar association presidents as well as national and international legal institutions.
The hearing, which started with identification, was monitored in two halls via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGB?S) due to the small size of the hall.
In his defense, F?rat Epözdemir stated that the allegations in the indictment were “simple” and therefore his arrest was “political.”
Epözdemir said, “ The Istanbul Bar Association held its general assembly in 2024. We entered the election here as Lawyers for Change. A campaign was run before the elections. Our lists were Turkish, Kurdish, Alevi, Social Democrat, conservative, in other words, a list that would represent people from all walks of life. However, lawyers like me who have not forgotten their Kurdish identity have drawn attention. I hope we can make peace in the new process. We won the elections. Even after we won, campaigns were run such as ‘How could the Istanbul Bar fall into the hands of terrorists?’ An investigation was launched against our bar association president and management due to a statement that did not constitute a crime. An investigation was launched without permission from the ministry. It was later realized that a mistake was made .”
Epözdemir, who stated that there were many contradictions in the Istanbul Bar Association investigation, said, “Those who could not find what they expected from the bar association investigation stuck to the ‘terrorist organization’ claim. If I had not joined the bar association management, I would never have been arrested and I would not be in your presence now .”
“ They said, ‘Being a member of a terrorist organization is a useful field, F?rat Epözdemir is Kurdish, let’s arrest him,’ that’s the summary of this case ,” he said.
Epözdemir stated that he had no duty in HDK and that HDK was legal, and that a justification was sought for the arrest warrant.
Epözdemir continued his defense by saying, “ The human rights defender ?evket Epözdemir, who was massacred in Tatvan on November 26, 1993, is my uncle. That is why I am a human rights defender. I have never been detained until today. I am a socialist person. When our teachers said, ‘There are no Kurds,’ we opposed it. It is known by everyone that I am not guilty, but I was arrested and a lawsuit was filed against me .”
F?rat Epözdemir made a defense of about an hour. After he finished his defense, the hall erupted in applause. Then, lawyer Istanbul Bar Association President ?brahim Kabo?lu took the floor.
“In a democratic state, freedom is the norm, restriction is the exception”
Kabo?lu stated that the Bar Association case and the Epözdemir case were assigned to the same day, and that this created a problem of space and time.
Kabo?lu said, “ Epozdemir has the trio of citizenship, equality and secularism. The most important thing in the elections was the issue of merit. And five qualified women and five men were elected. All of them are honorable lawyers who have proven themselves in their professions. However, Epozdemir’s absence has been causing deficiencies in the bar for a long time. The Istanbul Bar Association is a world-class bar. We all have to work for the rule of law. We are also trying to make the law effective by saying autonomous bar with all our heart and soul. This case is a very important case. We had also said during the first arrest that Epozdemir’s detention conditions were not present. Depriving a person of their freedom is the most severe measure. In a democratic state governed by the rule of law, freedom is the essence, restriction is the exception. F?rat has been arbitrarily deprived of his freedom. This arrest is against the Constitution. We want Epozdemir to be acquitted .”
Following the statements of the other lawyers, the prosecutor presented his opinion on the merits. He requested that Epözdemir’s detention be continued.
After a short break, the court announced the interim decision and ruled for Epözdemir’s release on condition of judicial control.
The next hearing was adjourned until September 9.
“The investigation into the bar association collapsed”
Following the release decision, a press statement was held in front of the courthouse. Speaking here, ?brahim Kabo?lu said that the release decision meant that the investigation into their bar association had collapsed.
Kabo?lu stated that the decision revealed the injustice of the investigation against the Istanbul Bar Association and said, ” The violation of rights has ended. This also means that the operation against the Istanbul Bar Association has collapsed. Today, a new phase has begun. This has revealed that the Istanbul Bar Association, which has no equal in the world, has been wronged. The operation against the Istanbul Bar Association must be stopped immediately. We will continue to spread accurate information. We will continue to contribute to the law with all lawyers working in Turkey to make the law effective in Turkey .”
The statement ended with applause.
Release decision for Firat Epözdemir, who has been detained for 124 days (Bianet, May 29, 2025)
