Eylem Sonbahar
Bedirhan Sarsılmaz, a member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), was acquitted on Friday by the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court of charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” in a case that drew attention for its focus on his professional activities as a defense attorney.
Sarsılmaz had been arrested on Oct. 30, 2024, during the final hearing of the DİAYDER trial—a high-profile case concerning alleged links between the Kurdish religious association and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He was taken into custody in the courtroom and jailed as part of a separate investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. He was released on Feb. 20 after nearly four months in pre-trial detention.
In Friday’s hearing, the first in this new case, the prosecutor requested his acquittal, and the court ruled in favor of clearing him of all charges. The courtroom was filled with his legal colleagues, many of whom came to observe in solidarity.
In his defense statement, Sarsılmaz emphasized that he was being prosecuted solely for his work as a lawyer. “I am being judged as a lawyer—an advocate for freedom, for women, for the oppressed. I attended the ‘Gökyüzü’ protest event for just one hour in solidarity. Across the country, students were organizing events in public parks. How can this be a crime?” he asked.
He also addressed the phone records cited in the indictment, which listed individuals with criminal records. “Those include my father, my uncle, my clients, and other attorneys. Am I not allowed to speak with my father? He was also acquitted. Is this indictment even serious? We have done nothing outside the struggle for justice and rights,” Sarsılmaz said. He also described being subjected to rights violations while in detention, including being transferred without notice and separated from his family during a visit.
Attorney Berivan Barin argued that the charges lacked substance, stating, “All the so-called evidence is abstract. We request acquittal.” Ezgi Şahin, a board member of the Istanbul Bar Association, echoed this view, emphasizing that “lawyering is a public profession” and criticizing the criminalization of defense work.
The court ultimately sided with the defense and the prosecution’s recommendation, ruling that Sarsılmaz had not committed any criminal offense.
The case has added to concerns among legal and press freedom groups over what they describe as a growing trend in Turkey of targeting defense lawyers and journalists under broad anti-terror laws.
