On April 17, 2026, a case seeking the removal of the Turkish Medical Association’s Central Council members from their positions was dismissed. The case was initially brought in late 2022, after then Turkish Medical Association (TMA) President Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı—a forensics expert—commented in a televised interview that allegations of the Turkish military’s use of chemical gases in northern Iraq should be investigated independently in accordance with international standards. The following year, in court proceedings fraught with procedural irregularities, Dr. Fincancı and the 10 other Central Council members were arbitrarily dismissed from their elected positions. Turkish authorities had sought the leaders’ dismissal based on vague and spurious terrorism-related allegations, claiming the TMA had engaged in activities outside of the organization’s founding purpose.

The decision for dismissal was appealed by the TMA leaders, who were able to remain in office while the appeals process was pending. In 2025, the country’s high court overturned the dismissal ruling after finding violations of the right to a fair trial and sent the case back to a lower court. Proceedings in the case restarted in early 2026 and ended with a dismissal on procedural grounds, as the terms of the then TMA Central Council members had ended.

This case brought against the TMA leaders was one of numerous instances of governmental harassment and intimidation against the members and leadership of Türkiye’s largest professional medical organization for their commitment to the provision of quality medical care, medical ethics, and the defense of the right to health. Over more than a decade, TMA members have been subjected to arbitrary detention and other forms of harassment—including as a result of their efforts to provide crucial health guidance during the COVID pandemic, to highlight the catastrophic impact of war on public health, and to protest increased violence against health workers in the country.