Two international lawyers organizations on Thursday called on Turkish authorities to release three attorneys detained ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, warning that their detention raises concerns about the systematic targeting of lawyers for their professional activities.
In a joint statement Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) and the Law Society of England and Wales said the detention of Semra Demir, Kürşat Bafra and Doğa İncesu appeared to be linked to their legitimate professional activities and reflected broader pressure on civil society and human rights work in Turkey.
“These developments raise serious questions about the safety of lawyers in Turkey and the systematic targeting of lawyers in Turkey for carrying out their professional activities,” the groups said.
Turkish authorities detained 225 people, including the three lawyers, ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, as part of a sweeping counterterrorism investigation. A Turkish court arrested 103 of the detainees on Thursday, including lawyers Demir and Bafra, while 26 others were released under judicial supervision, including house arrest.
The organizations said Turkish authorities must ensure that all detainees, including lawyers, have access to legal counsel and investigate allegations that a lawyer and a detainee were assaulted at the Ankara Police Department.
The groups said the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), of which the three lawyers are members, has long faced judicial harassment, with many of its members prosecuted or imprisoned for professional activities including representing political opponents and human rights defenders.
The ÇHD was shut down by an emergency decree in November 2017 following a 2016 coup attempt and was re-established under the same name in 2019.
The organizations urged Turkey to comply with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Convention against Torture (CAT), including protections against arbitrary detention and ill-treatment and guarantees of fair trial rights.
They also called on Turkey to end the criminalization of lawyers so that they can carry out their professional duties without intimidation or harassment.
Lawyers and bar associations in Turkey have faced growing legal pressure in recent years, particularly when representing clients accused of links to dissident or outlawed groups. Rights advocates say authorities have increasingly blurred the line between lawyers and clients, undermining the independence of the legal profession.
In the latest global Rule of Law Index released in October 2025 by the World Justice Project, Turkey was ranked 118th out of 143 countries, falling one place from the previous year.
