Istanbul Bar Association President condemns judge in İBB case

Istanbul Bar Association President Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu has condemned the conduct of the presiding judge in the ongoing legal proceedings involving the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Speaking at a press conference following a workshop on the 25th anniversary of the constitutional guarantee of the right to a fair trial, Kaboğlu criticized the court's treatment of defense lawyers.

Kaboğlu reported that the presiding judge allegedly told lawyers, ‘You will wait, of course; if you cannot wait, you should not have taken the case.’ He described the judge's attitude toward legal counsel as unprecedented, stating that a judge should act as an equal part of the prosecution-defense-verdict triad.

Furthermore, Kaboğlu raised concerns regarding the physical exhaustion of defendants, noting that hearings often continue until the early hours of the morning, while individuals are removed from their cells as early as 07:00. He highlighted the lack of predictability in the courtroom, where lawyers and defendants are often unable to know when they will be permitted to speak.