Lawyers of İstanbul Bar pressured into 'changing their bar association'

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The İstanbul Bar Association has released a written statement and announced that the lawyers working for some public institutions and public banks are pressured into being the members of İstanbul's No. 2 Bar.

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Allowing the establishment of more than one bar in a city, which was previously not the case in Turkey, the Bill on Amendments to the Attorneys' Act and Some Laws has passed into law after it was published in the Official Gazette. As per this law, a bar association can be established by a minimum of 2,000 lawyers if there are over 5,000 lawyers in a city.

It was in September 2020 when the Union of Turkish Bar Associations authorized the İstanbul No. 2 Bar Association.

'It is the product of an anti-democratic mind'

Releasing a written statement earlier today (February 17), the İstanbul Bar Association stated, "The complaints that we have been receiving from the public lawyers over the past weeks tell us that the 'pressure to change their bar association' imposed on our colleagues by some public institutions and public banks has intensified."

Citing examples from the complaints of public lawyers, the İstanbul Bar indicated that some lawyers were "openly told that their contracts would be terminated or they would be assigned to work in other cities."

The İstanbul Bar also noted that some lawyers were "instructed about for whom they should vote in the General Assembly of the 2nd Bar," which has "revealed the conflict" within the İstanbul No. 2 Bar Association.

"Those who bring our colleagues under pressure 'covertly' say that the related pressures about their preferences is driven by Ankara," said the İstanbul Bar, referring to the capital city of the country.

"Forcing lawyers to make a choice between their living and bar associations, this mentality is not only the product of an anti-democratic mind, but it is also an extension of a lack of knowledge about the concept of 'public'."

'Pressure will be revealed'

Further in its statement, the İstanbul Bar said, "It is understood that these pressures will bring results in a few days," foreseeing that a high number of public lawyers will leave the membership of the İstanbul Bar Association and become the members of the No. 2 Bar Association.

"The given time is up," the Bar said, referring to the time granted to the lawyers to change their bar associations.

Expressing its care for not differentiating or discriminating against its colleagues out of respect for lawyers' free preferences, the Bar noted that "starting from this point of 'coercion', it would be revealed how many lawyers left which public institutions and/or public banks for the 2nd Bar."

"Within the frame of the information that we will receive from our colleagues and the confidentiality of which we will respect, all types of legal action will be taken against the public officials who bring them under pressure," the İstanbul Bar Association underlined further. (HA/SD)