69 Turkish bar associations condemn TGRT reporter for targeting lawyers

A joint statement from 69 bar associations across Turkey has strongly condemned Fatih Atik, Ankara representative for the pro-government TGRT Haber, for his social media posts targeting lawyers. The controversy erupted after Atik shared minute-by-minute details of opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu's lawyers' visits to Silivri Prison on the X platform.

The bar associations declared their intention to pursue legal action against all individuals and institutions involved in publishing targeting content against lawyers and unlawfully sharing personal data. Their statement emphasized that such information, including lawyer-client communications, is protected under Article 36 of the Turkish Constitution and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, safeguarding the right to defense and attorney-client privilege.

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As bar associations, we publicly announce with respect that we will follow the legal processes against all individuals and institutions responsible for publications targeting lawyers and for the unlawful sharing of personal data.

"The responsibility primarily lies with public authorities, who are obligated to ensure the security of these records," the statement read, refuting the implication that lawyers themselves shared the information. The bar associations asserted that the state's duty is to secure this data and investigate alleged breaches, not to facilitate its dissemination to the press. They vowed to monitor all legal processes against those responsible for creating a hostile environment for legal professionals and undermining the integrity of the legal profession.

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The responsibility primarily lies with public authorities, who are obligated to ensure the security of these records.