A Turkish lawyers group urged the Union of Turkish Bar Associations to boycott newly appointed Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, calling on the national bar to avoid formal contact with him and to issue a public statement denouncing the appointment.

The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) made the call in an open letter addressed to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, the umbrella organization for Turkey’s local bar associations. The group said the bar leadership should not congratulate Gürlek, should not treat him as an official interlocutor and should not include him in official events or receptions.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Gürlek, who had been İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor, as justice minister in a cabinet reshuffle announced late Tuesday.

The appointment sparked criticism from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and came after Gürlek oversaw politically charged cases involving opposition-run municipalities, including an investigation targeting İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s main rival.

Tensions over the appointment spilled into parliament during Gürlek’s swearing-in, with lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposition parties clashing on the chamber floor.

In its letter the ÇHD argued that Gürlek’s career in the judiciary and executive branch showed, in its view, a pattern of actions that weakened defense rights in politically sensitive trials. The group also referenced past prosecutions of lawyers and mentioned the death of lawyer Ebru Timtik, who died in 2020 after a hunger strike while in custody.

Turkey’s Justice Ministry oversees the prison system, criminal justice policy and parts of the judiciary’s administrative framework. Critics and international organizations say the judiciary has come under total executive control in the last decade.