The continued prosecution of the president and 10 executive board members of the Istanbul Bar Association, and the prosecutor’s request for their conviction on terrorism charges are a damning reflection of the troubled state of the rule of law and democratic norms in Türkiye today, 38 human rights and lawyers’ organizations said today. They called on the authorities to immediately terminate the abusive criminal proceedings and drop charges ahead of the 26th Istanbul Heavy Penal Court’s expected final hearing scheduled for 5 to 9 January 2026.