Istanbul Bar Association Board of Directors member lawyer Fırat Epözdemir was arrested at Istanbul Airport on 23 January upon his return from the "European Council Defenders Meeting" in Strasbourg.

Lawyer Epözdemir was taken to Metris Prison. He published a post on his social media accounts, saying: "I would like to thank all my colleagues, especially the President of our Bar Association, lawyer Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu and the members of the Board of Directors, and everyone who did not leave me alone, both during my detention and during the procedures at the courthouse.

I will share with you the information about how I was arrested in a manner contrary to law and conscience, along with the documents, within a few days. Anyone with a legal identity will clearly see that my arrest is not legal but political, and that it is an operation against the Istanbul Bar Association."