Download the statement here.
Lawyers for Lawyers, together with other bar associations and lawyers’ rights organisations, expresses grave concern over the arrest and ongoing house arrest of human rights lawyer Ruken Gülağacı in Türkiye.
Ms Gülağacı, a member of the Istanbul Bar Association and executive board member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), was arrested on 20 May 2025 while visiting a client at Kandıra Prison. Following an overnight detention, she was transferred to the Çağlayan Courthouse where she was interrogated by the Prosecutor. On 21 May, the Criminal Peace Judgeship issued a house arrest order against her without granting her the opportunity to appear before a judge—a decision made in absentia, without justification, and in clear violation of fair trial standards.
Ms Gülağacı is widely known for her legal representation of academics, lawyers, and Kurdish politicians. She also serves as a board member of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH) and is active in the Foundation for Society and Legal Studies (TOHAV). Her arrest and judicial restrictions appear to be directly linked to her legitimate professional activities, raising serious concerns about the criminalisation of legal representation in Türkiye.
According to her legal counsel, the Prosecutor’s questions centered on Ms Gülağacı’s professional engagements—specifically her meetings with clients—suggesting an attempt to equate her legal work with criminal activity. Such treatment undermines the independence of the legal profession and violates international standards protecting lawyers from harassment or improper interference.
This case occurs against the backdrop of a broader crackdown on lawyers and civil society in Türkiye, particularly in the aftermath of mass protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Lawyers representing political dissidents are increasingly subjected to surveillance, intimidation, and criminal prosecution, threatening access to justice and the right to a fair trial.
We therefore call on the Turkish authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally lift the order of house arrest against RukenGülağacı and the release of all other lawyers detained solely for performing their professional duties;
- Ensure that pre-trial detention and house arrest are applied only as exceptional measures of last resort, with full respect for due process and the right to be heard before a judge;
- End all forms of harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention targeting lawyers, and refrain from unlawfully identifying lawyers with their clients or their clients’ political or social positions;
- Promptly sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, thereby reinforcing its commitment to the internationallegal framework governing the independence and protection of legal professionals.
We will continue to closely monitor the case of Ms Gülağacı and the broader situation facing the legal profession in Türkiye.
SIGNATORIES:
Asociación de Derecho Penitenciario “Rebeca Santamalia” – Estado español (ASDEPRES)
Asociación Libre de Abogacia (ALA) (Spain)
Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía (APDHA)
Avocats Européens Démocrates – European Democratic Lawyers
Bologna Bar Association (Italy)
CCBE – Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe
Cooperative of Women Lawyers in Barcelona (IACTA)
Cyprus Democratic Lawyers Association (CDLA)
Défense Sans Frontière – Avocats Solidaires.
Democratic Jurists (Italy)
Democratic Lawyers of Switzerland (DJS-JDS)
Deutscher Anwaltverein (German Bar Association)
European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH)
Euskal Herriko Giza eskubideen Behatokia (Basque Country)
Foundation Day of the Endangered Lawyer (the Netherlands)
Lawyer Leonardo Arnau, the Chair of the Human Rights Committee of Consiglio Nazionale Forense (Italy)
Il Centro di Ricerca ed Elaborazione per la Democrazia (CRED) (Italy)
Institut des Droits de l’Homme du Barreau de Montpellier (France)
Institute for the Rule of Law of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA-IROL)
International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger (OIAD)
Lawyers for Lawyers (the Netherlands)
Legal Centre Lesvos, (Greece)
Legal Team Italia (Italy)
Le SAD – Syndicat des Avocats pour la Démocratie (Belgium)
MAF-DAD – Association for Democracy and International Law e.V. (Germany)
Osservatorio Avvocati Minacciati (Italy)
Republikanischer Anwältinnen- und Anwälteverein (RAV e.V.) (Germany)
Socialist Lawyers Association of Ireland
The Defence Commission of the Barcelona Bar Association
The Law Society of England and Wales (UK)
The Norwegian Bar Association
Turkey Litigation Support Project (TLSP)
Turin Bar Association (Italy)
Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane (UCPI)
Vereinigung Demokratischer Juristinnen und Juristen e.V. (VDJ) (Germany)
Vereniging Sociale Advocatuur Nederland (VSAN) (the Netherlands)
