Government critic elected to lead Union of Turkish Bar Associations
Defeating a pro-government incumbent, Ankara Bar Association Chair Erinc Sagkan was elected head of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations on Sunday, pledging to strengthen the rule of law and independence in Turkey’s legal profession.
ISTANBUL — After repeated postponements and the passing of a controversial law on bar associations that prompted some lawyers to march from Istanbul to Ankara in protest last year, the influential Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) held elections this weekend and ousted its president of eight years, Metin Feyzioglu.
In the latter part of his tenure, Feyzioglu came under increased criticism for seemingly accommodating the political agenda of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
