The undersigned international 34 legal and human rights organizations strongly condemn the conviction and sentencing of 10 lawyers who are members of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (Özgürlük İçin Hukukçular Derneği, ÖHD) and of 20 executives and staff of the Prisoners’ Families Solidarity Association (Tutuklu Aileleri ile Dayanışma Derneği, TUAD) by the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court on 28 January 2026. The unjust sentences, imposed after nearly 10 years of proceedings, are the latest alarming example of a broader pattern of criminalising the legal profession and human rights defence in Türkiye. Those convicted and sentenced are at liberty pending appeals of their convictions.
