A 26-year-old lawyer was shot dead in Bursa on Tuesday by a man reportedly subject to enforcement proceedings she had initiated on behalf of a client, prompting condemnation from bar associations and opposition politicians.
Hatice Kocaefe was shot in the Gülsu district of Bursa while she was with her sister, according to the Anka news agency. The suspected gunman fled the scene and remained at large as of the date of writing.
The İstanbul Bar Association linked the killing to what it described as growing hostility toward lawyers and a lack of accountability for attacks on them.
“The killing of our colleague is a consequence of a rhetoric that targets lawyers and a persistent climate of impunity,” the bar said in a statement, calling on authorities to uphold the rule of law and protect the right to defense.
The bar said the attack directly targeted the practice of law itself and called on authorities to take urgent measures to ensure lawyers’ safety.
Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu, a deputy chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), also condemned the attack, saying it targeted not only a lawyer but the right to defense, justice and the rule of law.
Lawyers and bar associations in Turkey have in recent years faced increasing pressure, including investigations and prosecutions linked to their professional activities, raising concerns about the erosion of legal independence and the safety of defense lawyers. Critics say such practices contribute to a climate in which legal professionals are stigmatized and more vulnerable to threats and violence.
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.
