Orhan Sait Berber
Turkey’s bar association leadership is facing growing criticism after a courtesy visit to Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, with lawyers questioning the timing of the meeting and warning that it could be seen as legitimizing a controversial figure.
The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) said last Thursday that its president, Erinç Sağkan, and a delegation visited Gürlek, who was appointed justice minister last month, to convey their good wishes and congratulate him over his appointment.
In a statement the TBB said it presented proposals aimed at strengthening the right to a defense in court and addressing systemic problems in the judiciary. Gürlek expressed satisfaction with the visit and stressed the importance of cooperation, according to the statement.
TBB Yönetiminden Adalet Bakanı Akın Gürlek’e Hayırlı Olsun Ziyareti
👉 https://t.co/IXttpQWaLg pic.twitter.com/rMF8Huliyv
— Türkiye Barolar Birliği (@barolar) March 26, 2026
However, the meeting attracted swift backlash from members of the legal community, who cited Gürlek’s controversial actions targeting the opposition and government critics.
Lawyer Tuğçe Çalık Karademir publicly challenged the visit, questioning whether key concerns affecting lawyers and the opposition had been raised.
“Did you bring up the lawyers who have been detained simply for doing their job? Did you address the rhetoric and actions targeting defense lawyers in the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality case?” she asked, referring to an ongoing trial in which jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu faces a wide range of charges, including corruption, in what many see as a politically motivated case.
Gürlek, who served as İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor before his appointment as minister, is the figure behind an ongoing crackdown on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), of which İmamoğlu is a member.
İmamoğlu is widely seen as a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election.
Since Gürlek’s appointment as İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor in October 2024, more than 16 CHP mayors have been arrested, most on corruption charges they deny.
Prosecutors have also opened investigations into numerous CHP members on accusations ranging from corruption to alleged terrorism links and insulting the president.
Karademir added that if the meeting was merely a courtesy visit, the bar leadership should clarify “to whom and to what this appointment [of Gürlek as minister] is beneficial,” warning that otherwise such engagement could be seen as tacit approval of actions targeting defense lawyers.
Brussels-based human rights lawyer Ali Yıldız also criticized the visit, saying it carried reputational and ethical risks for the TBB, which has been frequently been critical of government policies and judicial practices in recent years.
He said Gürlek had been responsible for serious human rights violations in previous judicial roles and had led what he described as “lawfare” against opposition figures and the İstanbul Bar Association.
“A courtesy visit to him, when he is engulfed in grave corruption allegations, somehow legitimizes him,” Yıldız told Turkish Minute. “The timing and conduct of this visit are highly problematic.”
Gürlek was also İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor when the İstanbul Bar Association and 10 members of its executive board were indicted on terrorism-related charges, accused of disseminating terrorist propaganda and spreading misleading information in a statement calling for an effective investigation into the killing of two Kurdish journalists in northern Syria in December 2024. They were acquitted earlier this year.
The visit also comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Gürlek’s allegedly unexplained wealth.
CHP leader Özgür Özel recently claimed that Gürlek had been involved in real estate transactions worth about 452 million Turkish lira ($10 million), an amount he said could not be explained by the income of a longtime judge and prosecutor.
Gürlek has denied the allegations, calling them disinformation and announcing legal action, including a lawsuit seeking damages. His lawyer also filed a criminal complaint accusing Özel of slander and forgery.
The dispute escalated after an investigation was launched into alleged unauthorized access to Gürlek’s property records, leading to the detention and arrest of several land registry officials.
The TTB’s courtesy visit comes against the backdrop of a February statement from the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) calling on the TBB to boycott the newly appointed minister and avoid formal engagement with him, citing concerns over his judicial record and its impact on defense rights.
Gürlek has rejected such criticism. Speaking at a media gathering in Ankara earlier this month, he defended his role in high-profile cases, including the investigation into İmamoğlu.
“I simply did my duty as a public prosecutor. My conscience is clear,” he said.
Government officials have also denied claims that legal proceedings against opposition figures are politically motivated, insisting that Turkey’s judiciary operates independently.
Yet the concerns about the independence of the judiciary in Turkey are also reflected in international assessments.
Turkey was ranked 118th among 143 countries in the 2025 “WJP Rule of Law Index” published by the World Justice Project in October 2025, dropping one place compared to 2024.