This article considers the history and fundamentals of Turkish data protection law.
Released on Jun 20, 2022
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, employers are required to take measures to meet their occupational health and safety obligations. The most important and debated health and safety measure is requiring vaccination and PCR testing from employees. Whether this measure may be mandatory within the workplace, and the sanctions that may apply if an employee fails to comply with this measure, have become a more pressing issue.
Released on Dec 15, 2021
This article evaluates Turkey’s new Remote Work Regulation (No 31519), dated 10 March 2021. The Regulation is the first detailed legislation on remote work in Turkey and outlines the eligibility of non-Turkish nationals to work remotely in the country.
Released on Dec 13, 2021
The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has signed a joint statement alongside the Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales, the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), The Law Society of England and Wales and Lawyers for Lawyers expressing concern for the safety of Turkish lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal
Released on Aug 12, 2020
A joint statement urging the Government of the Republic of Turkey to end the persecution of lawyers, reverse unlawful convictions and release those who have been unjustly detained, has been published in Turkish newspapers BirGün and Yeni Yasam by 35 international legal bodies.
Released on Jun 26, 2020
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), alongside other professional legal representative bodies, has issued an open letter to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey urging him to discontinue criminal investigations into the Ankara Bar Association and the Diyarbakir Bar Association. The two organisations voiced concerns about comments made by Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, Mr Ali Erbas, in a sermon on 24 April 2020, when he suggested that members of the LGBT community
Released on Jun 17, 2020
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) urge the Turkish Council of Judges and Prosecutors (CJP) – Turkey’s legal disciplinary body responsible for judicial appointments – to stop their investigation into the three judges of the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court who, on 18 February 2020, acquitted the 16 defendants in the Gezi Park trial due to a lack of evidence.
Released on Feb 28, 2020
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) condemns the repeated arrests and longstanding criminal proceedings, as well as the recent disciplinary procedures initiated by the Istanbul Bar Association, against human rights lawyer Ramazan Demir. Further, the IBAHRI calls on the authorities of the Republic of Turkey to adhere to the international legal instruments that safeguard the independence of legal professionals and the rule of law.
Released on Feb 13, 2019
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the Anti-Torture Initiative (ATI) have sent an open letter to Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemning the criminal proceedings brought against prominent human rights defender Dr Sebnem Korur Fincanci, as well as the conviction and sentencing of her to two years and six month’s imprisonment
Released on Jan 30, 2019
The Bar Council of England and Wales, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), and the Law Society of England and Wales have sent an open letter to Turkish authorities raising concerns over the rising number of cases of human rights violations against lawyers in Turkey.
Released on Apr 5, 2018
News Release: Wednesday 20 July 2016. The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) is extremely concerned by the sudden dismissal of more than 2,500 judges and prosecutors in Turkey, following an attempted coup d'état in the country on Friday 15 July. The IBAHRI calls on Turkey to respect its international obligations, avoid undue mass targeting of state institutions such as the judiciary, and ensure that a transparent investigation is carried out to identify those responsible...
Released on Jul 20, 2016
As the next hearing in the longstanding criminal case against human rights lawyer Ramazan Demir and eleven other lawyers looms, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) calls on the authorities in the Republic of Turkey and the Istanbul Bar Association to uphold the rule of law, and to respect the integrity and independence of the country’s legal profession.
Today’s decision from the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Turkish human rights defender Osman Kavala must be immediately complied with by releasing him from detention, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today
In the previous two UPR cycles (2010 and 2015), Turkey committed to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and accepted all recommendations made in that respect, but these have not to date been implemented.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have jointly sent international observers to attend the second hearing of the criminal trial on the ‘Gezi Park’ protests, scheduled to take place on 18 and 19 July 2019 at the Silivri Prison Courthouse in Istanbul.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have jointly sent international observers to attend the first hearing of the criminal trial on the ‘Gezi Park’ protests at Silivri Prison Courthouse in Istanbul, scheduled to take place on 24 and 25 June 2019.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), in conjunction with the Anti-Torture Initiative (ATI), has written to Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemning the conviction of 11 members of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA) Central Council on terrorism charges.
Today, 5 April 2019, on the occasion of the Lawyers’ Day in Turkey, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) joined with over 30 other associations and organisations concerned with the rule of law and protection of the rights of lawyers to strongly condemn the ongoing crackdown against lawyers in Turkey.
On 24th January 2019, the Day of the Endangered Lawyer aimed to promote solidarity with persecuted and silenced members of the global legal profession, focusing specifically on the situation in Turkey.
From 18 - 22 June 2018, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the Law Society of England and Wales hosted a delegation of Turkish Lawyers during the 38th session of the Human Rights Council. The week’s activities included a training on UN Human Rights Mechanisms, several meetings with UN representatives, NGOs and State missions, as well as a side event on the situation of the legal profession in Turkey.
June 2018: The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, in partnership with five organisations, released a joint statement on the situation of Mustafa Aydin, a lawyer from Istanbul. Mr Aydin was arrested on 16 August 2016 and was in pre-trial detention for almost two years. He was charged with being a member of an armed terrorist organisation for legally representing a police officer investigating accusations of bribery and money laundering against members of the AKP.
On 25 June 2018, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) delivered an oral statement at the 38th Session of the Human Rights Council on behalf of five other organisations to address the situation of the legal profession in Turkey and Poland.
The statement focused on the widespread human rights violations against lawyers in Turkey since the attempted coup in July 2016, and the ongoing ‘state-led campaign of intimidation and harassment’ against judges in Poland.
On 1 March, on behalf of the IBAHRI and five other organisations, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) delivered an oral statement at the Human Rights Council’s 37th session. In the statement, the ICJ urged the Council to address the attack on lawyers and threats to the independence of the legal profession around the world with a particular emphasis China, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey as examples of where such attacks had occurred.
Ongoing obscurity surrounding the death of a prominent human rights lawyer in Turkey in November continues to raise questions about the country’s ability to uphold the rule of law. A Kurdish lawyer and chairman of the Diyarbakir Bar Association, Tahir Elci was shot dead on November 28 during a press conference in Turkey’s south-eastern city of Diyarbakir. He had been making an appeal for peace in the city, which has been the scene of months of violent clashes.