Can Memiş, who decided to study law while in prison and obtained his lawyer’s license in 2025, was unanimously rejected by the Ankara Regional Administrative Court’s 12th Administrative Chamber. The court ruled that, despite the fact that the 6-year and 3-month sentence handed down by the Istanbul 28th Heavy Penal Court for “PKK/KCK membership” had not yet been finalized, Memiş’s registration with the bar association could “damage the reputation of the profession” due to the public service nature of the legal profession. Thus, Memiş was barred from practicing law until the criminal case was finalized. Memiş said the decision was a clear violation of the presumption of innocence and emphasized that although the Constitutional Court had ruled that rights had been violated in similar cases, the administration had not complied. Stating that the process had rendered years of education and internship efforts futile, Memiş said he had no choice but to wait for the Constitutional Court’s decision.
November 25, 2025
Bianet