Recent alerts received highlight a continued pattern of judicial harassment and pressure on human rights defenders, lawyers, and professional associations in Turkey, raising serious concerns about due process, fair trial guarantees, and the independence of the legal profession.
One of the most prominent cases is that of sociologist and human rights defender Pınar Selek. On 2 April 2026, the Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court once again postponed her trial while reiterating a request for her immediate detention and physical presence at the next hearing scheduled for September 2026. This marks the seventh hearing in her fifth trial, despite four prior acquittals and a lack of substantive evidence. The case, which dates back to 1998, has been repeatedly reopened over nearly three decades. In 2022, the Court of Cassation overturned her most recent acquittal and called for a life sentence. Selek, currently residing in France, is also subject to an international arrest warrant, although no Interpol Red Notice has been issued. Observers underline that her case exemplifies prolonged judicial harassment and raises concerns about risks of unfair trial and ill-treatment.
In parallel, a major development concerns the conviction of 30 lawyers and human rights defenders affiliated with the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and the Prisoners’ Families Solidarity Association (TUAD). On 28 January 2026, following a trial lasting nearly a decade, the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court imposed lengthy prison sentences on charges related to terrorism and expression. The prosecutions appear to rely primarily on lawful professional activities, including prison visits, legal representation, public statements, and documentation of prison conditions. Reports indicate that no evidence of criminal conduct or incitement to violence was presented.
The proceedings themselves raise significant due process concerns. Evidence used in court reportedly includes surveillance obtained through wiretapping and technical monitoring authorised by judges later dismissed or prosecuted. Defence arguments challenging the legality of such evidence were routinely rejected without detailed justification, reinforcing concerns about violations of international fair trial standards.
Further concerns arise from ongoing proceedings against the leadership of the Istanbul Bar Association. Prosecutors are seeking convictions on terrorism-related charges against eleven members, including the Bar’s president, for issuing a public statement in December 2024 addressing the killing of journalists and subsequent arrests. The charges interpret this statement as terrorist propaganda, a position widely criticised as legally unfounded and as a misuse of counter-terrorism laws. Observers stress that the statement falls within the Bar Association’s mandate to address human rights issues and uphold the rule of law.
Additionally cyber censorship has rapidly become a weapon of choice for Turkish authorities seeking to silence also journalists in exile. At least five reporters have been targeted online, notably by having their social media accounts censored in Türkiye, while four of them face potential prison sentences through ongoing prosecutions — some stretching over a decade. The case of Can Dündar, former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, is emblematic. After being sentenced to five years and ten months in prison in 2016 for “revealing state secrets,” surviving an armed attack, and ultimately fleeing to Germany where he founded the Turkish-language news site Özgürüz, he was sentenced in absentia in 2020 to 27 years and 6 months in prison on espionage-related charges. His account was among 178 censored in Türkiye on national security grounds. In March 2025, the accounts of three further journalists in exile — Metin Cihan, Hayko Bagdat, and Erk Acarer — were censored by Turkish telecommunications authorities, with an Istanbul court upholding the decision. Reporters Without Borders has urged the Turkish authorities to put an end to this oppressive policy.
Across these cases, a consistent pattern emerges: the criminalisation of legitimate professional and human rights activities. Lawyers and defenders are being targeted for carrying out their duties, while judicial processes are marked by concerns over independence, evidentiary standards, and respect for fundamental rights. These developments are seen as part of a broader trend affecting human rights defenders, academics, and legal professionals, with significant implications for the rule of law and democratic standards.
