Kategorie: Humans

Criminal and civil proceedings against the executive board of the Istanbul Bar Association are incompatible with Türkiye’s international human rights obligations and represent a direct assault on the independence of the legal profession, warned 12 legal and human rights organizations in a joint intervention to the court.

The joint amicus brief by leading human rights groups and professional legal bodies including Amnesty International has been submitted to the Istanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court on Friday, September 5, as the second hearing, scheduled to last two days, begins tomorrow.

The legal action targets the Istanbul Bar Association’s President, Prof. İbrahim Kaboğlu, and ten executive board members, and stems from a public statement issued by the Bar on 21 December 2024, following the killing of two Kurdish journalists, Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, allegedly in a drone strike in northern Syria.

In its statement, the Bar Association had recalled international legal protections that must be afforded for journalists in conflict zones, called for an effective investigation into the deaths, and demanded the release of protestors and lawyers detained at a demonstration held in Istanbul that same day. In response, prosecutors in Türkiye launched criminal proceedings against the Bar’s leadership for “propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “disseminating misleading information,” and simultaneously filed a civil lawsuit seeking to dismiss the board on the grounds that it had acted beyond its legal duties. On 21 March 2025, the Istanbul 2nd Civil Court of First Instance ordered the termination of the entire board’s mandate, a decision that is currently under appeal.

The 12 organizations argue in their joint submission that these proceedings violate Türkiye’s obligations under international human rights law. The Istanbul Bar Association’s statement, they note, falls squarely within its professional mandate and legal duty to defend human rights and the rule of law.

“The criminal and civil proceedings against the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board amount to retaliation for engaging in lawful, rights-based advocacy,” said Ayşe Bingöl Demir, Director of the Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project. “They are part of a broader effort to intimidate the legal profession and silence institutions that challenge state power.”

The organizations emphasize that bar associations must be free to speak out on legal and human rights concerns without fear of intimidation or punishment. As Thierry Wickers,  President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) stated, “These actions are not just an attack on the Istanbul Bar Association, they are an attack on the very idea of an independent legal profession, one of the main pillars of a democratic society and a fundamental guarantee for ensuring the rule of law and preventing abuse of state power.”

According to the amicus brief, the charges brought against the Bar’s leadership are both vague and legally baseless, relying on overly broad anti-terrorism and “disinformation” laws that fail to meet international standards of legality, necessity and proportionality. No part of the Bar’s statement can reasonably be interpreted as “inciting violence” or “promoting terrorism”. Instead, it reflects the Bar’s role as an institutional safeguard, defending its members and speaking out against unlawful detentions and alleged violations of international law.

“The Istanbul Bar’s statement was well within its statutory duties and its internationally protected role,” said Baroness Helena Kennedy, Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute “To criminalize such a statement is both legally indefensible and politically alarming.”

The organizations stress that this case is not isolated but emblematic of a wider pattern in Türkiye, where bar associations have faced mounting interference, lawyers are increasingly prosecuted for their work, and dissenting institutions are subjected to coordinated pressure.

Dinushika Dissanayake Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe warned: “What is happening in this case is emblematic of a systemic pattern but also sets a dangerous precedent: criminal law is being misused to target lawyers, their professional body and human rights defenders for simply carrying out their work.

“Türkiye’s overly broad anti-terrorism laws are open to abuse. Prosecutions such as these send a chilling message that demanding the authorities abide by their human rights obligations comes at a heavy cost and that lawyers’, their representatives’ and everyone’s right to freedom of expression can be arbitrarily curtailed. In the face of this, the only fair outcome is the acquittal of all the leaders of Istanbul Bar Association at tomorrow’s hearing.”

In light of these concerns, the international organizations have requested the Istanbul court to assess the lawfulness and propriety of the ongoing criminal and civil proceedings in line with Türkiye’s binding obligations under international human rights law, including the standards on the independence of lawyers and bar associations and the rights to freedom of expression and association. As the amicus brief highlights, the charges and actions against the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board contravene these standards, appear to pursue an ulterior political purpose, and risk setting a dangerous precedent for legal professionals and institutions engaged in rights-based advocacy.

The organizations that submitted the amicus curiae brief are: Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project, Amnesty International, Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights, German Federal Bar, Human Rights Watch, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, International Commission of Jurists, International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger, Law Society of England and Wales, Lawyers for Lawyers, and PEN Norway.

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As the people of Norway head to the polls on 8 September 2025, where divesting the Government Pension Fund from companies unlawfully operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has become a defining election issue, Astri Menne Sjoner, Political Adviser at Amnesty International Norway said:

“Human rights are at the heart of this election. Norway’s Government Pension Fund has rightly once again come under intense scrutiny for investments in companies contributing or directly linked to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other serious violations of international law.

“While the Fund has taken some welcome steps to address its risk of complicity in violations of international law — including divesting from a limited number of Israeli companies and cutting ties with external asset managers in Israel — many glaring inconsistencies remain. Current investments still fall far short of upholding Norway’s human rights obligations. The criteria for excluding companies must be grounded in international law, not swayed by the politics of the day.”

States must ensure that their sovereign wealth funds are not contributing or have their operations directly linked to Israel’s unlawful occupation, its system of apartheid, or the genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip via their business relationships with investment portfolio companies.

Under international law, as reflected in the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice in July 2024, states are under an obligation to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that aid or assist in maintaining Israel’s unlawful occupation, including illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“Certain companies have long operated in the shadows, reinforcing, normalizing, sustaining and profiting from one of the world’s longest and deadliest military occupations. States and public institutions must immediately act to comply with international law and stop all direct and indirect support for Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, its unlawful occupation in the Palestinian territory, and its cruel system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.

Every hesitation and every delay costs Palestinian lives,” 

Astri Menne Sjoner, Political Adviser at Amnesty International Norway.

“Every hesitation and every delay costs Palestinian lives,” Astri Menne Sjoner said.

“Amnesty International Norway is calling on all political parties to make a pledge that, if elected, they will ensure the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund becomes a global leader for human rights-compliant investments starting with taking comprehensive and sustained steps to ensure the disengagement from business activities contributing or linked to Israel’s grave and protracted violations of Palestinians’ rights.”

Background

Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global has become a defining issue of the upcoming general election. The Fund is currently invested in several companies listed in the UN database of businesses involved in the unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory.

The Oil Fund is the largest of its kind globally, with stakes in approximately 8,500 companies. Its investment decisions have global consequences.

Amnesty Norway is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the entire ethical framework of the fund, including the ethical guidelines, on which exclusion decisions are based without being in accordance with international law or human right standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The campaign #mittoljefond and several revelations on companies in the fund’s portfolio have mobilized public pressure, making the fund’s investments a central election issue.

Recently, the Council on Ethics’ decision to exclude Caterpillar due to concerns about its connection to human rights violations, leading to the Fund’s divestment, came under intense political criticism and attack. This pressure underscores the value and importance of ensuring the integrity of the process and compliance with international law.

For more information or media requests please contact press@amnesty.org

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Israel must immediately halt its escalating full-scale assault on Gaza City and plans to displace hundreds of thousands of its residents which will compound an already unbearable level of civilian suffering amidst Israel’s deliberate starvation campaign and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, said Amnesty International today.

In recent days Israel has stepped up military attacks on Gaza City killing scores of civilians, destroying homes and other civilian objects including in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun and Shejaiyah. It has also mobilized large numbers of reservists and has once again issued mass displacement orders to the city’s residents. Entire swathes of Gaza City have been declared no-go zones.

“Israel is pressing ahead with its cruel and deadly assault on Gaza City with utter disregard for Palestinian civilians, amidst a famine of its own making, defying repeated calls from humanitarian and human rights organizations, UN officials and world leaders to stop its onslaught. In doing so, Israel is revealing its chilling determination to continue its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.

“Israel’s assault on Gaza City will entrench its unlawful occupation and again forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians, causing further death and destruction. Forcibly displacing Palestinians within or out of the Gaza Strip would violate international humanitarian law and constitute the war crime of unlawful transfer or deportation. The operation could also endanger the lives of Israeli hostages and undermine the prospect of their safe return to their families.”

Earlier today Hamas released a video showing two Israelis held hostage; Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel. In the video, Gilboa-Dalal is heard saying that he is in Gaza City and at least eight other hostages are located in the area. Amnesty International reiterates its call for the immediate release of all civilian hostages and for Hamas to stop subjecting hostages to degrading and humiliating treatment.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross it is impossible, under current conditions, to conduct a mass evacuation of Gaza City in a manner that conforms to international humanitarian law. The majority of displaced Palestinians have already been forcibly displaced multiple times and are living in squalid, overcrowded makeshift camps deprived of their most basic needs. Many have nowhere safe to go or are unable to leave because they are malnourished, sick, injured or have disabilities.

Time and again the world has watched at the sidelines as Israel continues to defy the most basic principles of humanity. States must not continue to stand by as Israel proceeds with its brazen plan to annihilate and seize full control of Gaza City wreaking further bloodshed, destruction, displacement, and suffering on Palestinian civilians

Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as of 27 August over 86% of the Gaza Strip is within the Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders. The latest displacement order for Gaza City on 26 August impacts over 200,000 people. The Israeli military has instructed residents to go to the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, however the area has since been attacked by Israeli forces and the UN has warned that the area is poorly equipped to host people, including due to lack of water, overcrowded tents and lack of access to medical care due to the decimation of Gaza’s health sector. 

“Time and again the world has watched at the sidelines as Israel continues to defy the most basic principles of humanity. States must not continue to stand by as Israel proceeds with its brazen plan to annihilate and seize full control of Gaza City wreaking further bloodshed, destruction, displacement, and suffering on Palestinian civilians,” said Erika Guevara Rosas.

“UN member states gathering at the General Assembly in New York next week must take concrete action to halt Israel’s genocide and make clear that its inhumane policies will no longer be tolerated. Israel must immediately halt its operation in Gaza City, lift its illegal blockade and allow unhindered flow of aid into and throughout the Gaza Strip.

“The publication of an apparently US-sponsored postwar plan that would forcibly displace the entire population of Gaza underscores the urgent need for states to comply with their legal obligations to prevent further grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.”

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Responding to the adoption in the first reading by the Russian State Duma of a bill that effectively removes criminal liability for crimes committed by Russian forces and their proxies in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Denis Krivosheev, said.

“The bill, which refers to territories whose annexation was announced by Russia on 30 September, envisages legal immunity to those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes under international law carried out on Ukrainian soil, so long as said crimes were committed ‘aimed at protecting the interests of the Russian Federation,

“While the document doesn’t specify what criminal offences would qualify as ‘protecting the interests of Russia’ Amnesty International believes the bill expressly seeks to legalize the commission of war crimes by the Russian forces and their proxies. It turns Russia’s failure to ensure justice for victims into an official policy.

“Russian servicepeople should remember that even if this unprecedented bill is eventually passed, it will not override international law and will not protect war criminals from eventually facing trials abroad under universal jurisdiction.”

Background

On 13 December, the Russian State Duma passed in the first reading a bill concerning the use of Russian criminal law in territories of Ukraine that Russia occupies. The bill includes a provision stipulating that a deed considered criminal under both Ukrainian and Russian laws, is not to be qualified as a crime if it “aimed to protect interests of the Russian Federation”.

International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which regulates the conduct of armed conflicts and which Russia is a member state of, make it a legal obligation for states to provide effective penal sanctions for persons committing war crimes and to bring such individuals to trial. International law has precedence over national law under the Russian Constitution and, of course, under international law, too.

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Responding to Twitter’s decision to suspend the accounts of more than a dozen journalists from CNN, the New York Times, The Washington Post, and other outlets, as the company owner Elon Musk accused the reporters of sharing personal information about him, Alia Al Ghussain, Amnesty International’s Campaigner for Amnesty Tech, said: 

“Purging the accounts of critical journalists poses a threat to press freedom and reflects another deeply troubling example of the direction Twitter is headed. The company has the responsibility to ensure that it respects all human rights. 

All these actions are likely to lead to an increase in online abuse on the platform. Amnesty has repeatedly highlighted how abuse and hate on Twitter disproportionately affects women, especially those from marginalized communities.

Alia Al Ghussain, Amnesty International’s Campaigner for Amnesty Tech

“Twitter is an important space for connection. People’s right to freedom of expression and the freedom to impart information shouldn’t be predicated on whether Musk likes it or not. Musk’s latest move illustrates the dangers of unaccountable tech companies having total control over platforms we rely on for news and other vital information. 

“Recently, Twitter flippantly disbanded its safety council, threatening the wellbeing of its users. Ever since Musk’s takeover, Twitter’s entire human rights teams and thousands of independent contractors working on content moderation have also been laid-off. Bans have also been lifted on numerous accounts that have previously posted abusive content.  

“All these actions are likely to lead to an increase in online abuse on the platform. Amnesty has repeatedly highlighted how abuse and hate on Twitter disproportionately affects women, especially those from marginalized communities.”  

Background 

Twitter suspended the accounts of more than a dozen journalists who were critical about the platform’s owner. Musk claims that the reporters shared personal information about him.  

On 13 December, Twitter suddenly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, emailing the group moments before it was supposed to meet with company representatives.  

Amnesty International has repeatedly documented how Twitter has failed to respect women’s rights online. Violence and abuse against women have flourished on the social media platform, often with little or no accountability. 

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