Istanbul Governorate announced that 407 people were detained on May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day. At least 11 lawyers were among those detained. The Istanbul Bar Association demanded the immediate release of the lawyers and stated that the detentions were unlawful.
In the Governorate’s statement, it was stated that groups who wanted to stage unauthorized protests outside the permitted celebration areas across the city were intervened and 384 people were detained. The statement added that tens of thousands of people participated in the official celebrations in Kadıköy and Kartal and that there were no incidents during these events.
Contemporary Lawyers Association Istanbul Branch announced that nine lawyers were among those detained. In a written statement, the Istanbul Bar Association announced the number of detained lawyers as 11. The Bar Association emphasized that the detentions violate the Law on Lawyers and the UN Havana Rules and demanded the unconditional release of their colleagues.
The Bar Association made the following statements in its statement: “On May 1, 2025 in Istanbul, citizens exercising their right to peaceful demonstration were detained as a result of de facto bans against the constitutional order and the principles of democratic society, and at least 11 of our lawyer colleagues were among them. The presence of lawyers in public spaces is guaranteed by national and international law. The detentions are unlawful and all our colleagues must be released unconditionally.”
The number of detainees rose to 407 during the day.
May 1, 2025
Agos