Berlin, 7 September 2026. On 4 September 2026, Prof. Dr İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu was awarded the Konrad Redeker Prize for the Rule of Law, Integrity and Resilience at Humboldt Forum in Berlin. The constitutional law expert and President of the Istanbul Bar Association received the prize for his many years of tireless commitment to the rule of law, human rights and the independence of the legal profession.
In his opening remarks, delivered before an audience of around 100 guests from the judiciary and the legal profession, Dr Ulrich Karpenstein, a partner at Redeker and Vice‑President of the German Bar Association, recalled the legacy of the firm’s founder, Konrad Redeker. Lawyers do not merely provide services, he stated, but act as “mediators and barometers for the rule of law”. Rule of law, he cautioned, is not a status that once attained is retained for ever more. The prize, he concluded, is therefore more than just a commendation: “It is intended as a symbol of encouragement and inspiration as well as a show of solidarity.”
The laudatory address in honour of the award winner was delivered by Prof. Dr Angelika Nußberger, former Vice‑President of the European Court of Human Rights. In a stirring, eloquent address, she retraced Kaboğlu’s life journey – from his childhood in north‑eastern Turkey, through his academic career, to his long‑standing commitment to human rights and the rule of law. She described the remarkable life journey of a man who has time and again stood up for his convictions in the face of considerable personal pressure. Kaboğlu is “an individual who shapes the law himself, who struggles for just laws”, noted Nußberger. “He takes responsibility – for the law.”
In his ensuing acceptance speech, Kaboğlu stressed the importance of an independent legal profession for the rule of law. He expressly dedicated the award to the elected members of the Bar Council and the more than 70,000 lawyers in Istanbul, as well as to all lawyers who practise their profession under trying conditions.
Citing the legal action taken against the executive committee of the Istanbul Bar Association, Kaboğlu characterised the threat to the rule of law as a creeping process. “Erosion of the rule of law never begins with its collapse and disintegration. It begins with ostensibly legal actions,” he posited, progressing step by step, with each step being clothed as an exception, but then becoming the norm for the next. At the same time, Kaboğlu emphasised that this development is not irreversible. The rule of law retains its strength, he insisted, when judges rule independently, lawyers plead their cases without fear, and the legal community refuses to look the other way.
Kaboğlu explicitly directed his attention beyond Turkey towards Europe. The question is not merely what is happening in Turkey, but what will remain of the independence of defence attorneys and the judiciary if comparable developments were to be accepted anywhere. With a view to the legacy of Konrad Redeker, he affirmed that “independence is not proclaimed; it is defended – case by case, trial by trial, generation by generation.”
Concluding the ceremony, Dr Katarina Barley, Vice‑President of the European Parliament and a member of the Advisory Board for the Konrad Redeker Rule of Law Prize, placed the developments described in Turkey within the context of current challenges to the rule of law in Europe, thereby accentuating the importance of the evening, which she said extended beyond the specific case.
By honouring Prof. Kaboğlu, Redeker Sellner Dahs carries on the award of the Konrad Redeker Prize. The prize commemorates the firm’s founder, Konrad Redeker, who died in 2013, paying tribute to individuals who show a special commitment to the rule of law while demonstrating integrity and resilience even under difficult conditions. The prize was first awarded in 2025, the first recipient being the US lawyer Rachel Cohen.
