Liberation of Murat Arslan, president of YARSAV
AEAJ welcomes the liberation of Turkish judge Murat Arslan after ten years of detention and adresses its warmest wishes to him and his family.
After the events of 15 July 2016, thousands of Turkish judges, including administrative judges, have been wrongly detained, prosecuted, and forced into exile in a purge of the judiciary, leading to repeated violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. You can read a recap of Rule of law backsliding in Türkiye since 2016 in the joint statement issued by EAJ, Medel, AEAJ and R4R on 15. July 2026.
Murat Arslan was specifically targeted by Turkish authorities as the president of YARSAV, the largest independent
association of Turkish judges and prosecutors. The imprisonment of the president of an independent judicial association is an alarming event and, in the case of Murat, characterised the worst degradation of democracy and the rule of law in an European country.
Murat Arslan was continuously supported by the four judicial organisations forming the platform for an independent judiciary in Türkiye. Former president Edith Zeller was particularly active and played a decisive role into AEAJ involvement an support.
Murat Arslan was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize delivered by the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe in 2017 for his commitment for the independence of the judiciary. He remains a model of courage and dignity.
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