ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 60 people over alleged links to the Gülen movement. In October 2020, a UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) opinion said that widespread or systematic imprisonment of individuals with alleged links to the group may amount to crimes against humanity. Solidarity with OTHERS has compiled a detailed database to monitor the Gülen-linked mass detentions since a failed coup in July 2016.
ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES
No news has emerged of Yusuf Bilge Tunç, a former public sector worker who was sacked from his job by a decree-law during the 2016-2018 state of emergency and who was reported missing as of August 6, 2019 in what appears to be one of the latest cases in a string of suspected enforced disappearance of government critics since 2016.
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION
January 23: The police in İstanbul intervened in an animal rights demonstration, briefly detaining two activists.
January 24: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the postponement of a metal worker strike in Kocaeli for a period of 60 days, citing national security reasons.
January 24: İstanbul prosecutors dismissed a complaint filed by labor union executive Dilbent Türker whose leg was broken during a police intervention in a protest march.
January 27: An İstanbul court ruled to acquit 19 people who stood trial over their participation in a pride march in 2021.
January 27: The Çanakkale Governor’s Office banned a concert organized by the HDP.
January 28: The police in İstanbul intervened in a demonstration staged on a steamboat to protest an incident of child abuse, briefly detaining nine activists.
January 28: Governorates of Hakkari, Siirt and Mardin issued 15-day-long bans on all outdoor gatherings.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
January 23: Greek authorities pushed back to Turkey journalist Murat Verim who fled to Greece to avoid imprisonment. Upon his forcible return to Turkey, Verim was arrested and sent to an Edirne jail on terrorism charges.
January 23: The police in Kocaeli detained Kurdish musicians Gencay Malkoç and Yusuf Keleş on charges of spreading terrorist propaganda, due to songs they sang during an event organized by the HDP.
January 24: Journalist Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu was physically assaulted in the parliament after asking a question to nationalist politician Devlet Bahçeli.
January 24: An İstanbul court ruled to block access to three opinion columns about allegations of corruption involving the Social Security Institution (SGK) and a former ruling party MP.
January 24: An İzmir court ruled to acquit journalist Nazlan Ertan who stood trial for insulting a public official on social media.
January 25: Prosecutors launched an investigation into the presidents of 12 bar associations across the country on charges of insulting the state, due to a joint statement they released against Turkey’s military operations in Syia and Iraq.
January 25: Prosecutors launched an investigation into journalist Hale Gönültaş for reporting on the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl in the province of Aydın.
January 25: İstanbul prosecutors launched an investigation into journalist Osman Akın on terrorism-related charges due to news reports and opinion articles published in a newspaper of which he is the editor in chief.
January 25: An Ankara court ruled to block access to two news reports covering the remarks of opposition MP Murat Bakan who raised allegations that two religious networks had infiltrated the military.
January 25: An Ankara court ruled to block access to two news reports covering allegations of corruption implicating the spouse of ruling party MP Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu. On January 27, the same court censored three other news reports related to the same subject.
January 26: A Zonguldak court ruled to block access to a domain used by the pro-Kurdish Jinnews website to publish news.
January 26: An İstanbul court ruled to acquit writer Ataol Behramoğlu who stood trial on charges on insulting the president on a television program.
January 27: An İstanbul court ruled to block access to three news reports about allegations of forgery implicating former football club executive Umut Güner.
January 28: The police in İstanbul detained Kurdish journalist Rojin Altay.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
January 24: İstanbul prosecutors dismissed a complaint filed by labor union executive Dilbent Türker whose leg was broken during a police intervention in a protest march.
January 24: The Constitutional Court ruled in an individual application in favor of activist Nazan Bozkurt who in 2019 was punched by a police officer during a demonstration, which led to an orbital fracture. The top court told Ankara prosecutors who had previously dismissed Bozkurt’s complaint to reinvestigate the incident of violence as it exceeded the scope of lawful use of force.
January 26: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published an annual report which showed that Turkey was the biggest case provider among the countries under ECtHR jurisdiction, with more than 20,000 pending applications.
January 28: Ağrı prosecutors dismissed a complaint filed by an inmate named Zülküf Kaya who was reportedly mistreated by prison guards.
January 28: Ankara prosecutors dismissed a complaint filed by jailed journalists who were strip-searched in a women’s prison in the province.
KURDISH MINORITY
January 23: The police in Kocaeli detained Kurdish musicians Gencay Malkoç and Yusuf Keleş on charges of spreading terrorist propaganda, due to songs they sang during an event organized by the HDP.
January 24: Former HDP executive Mehmet Sayit Demir was reportedly pushed back by Greek forces after fleeing Turkey, and was subsequently arrested and sent to jail for violating parole.
January 26: A Hakkari court sentenced former mayor Cihan Karaman to 10 years, six months in prison on terrorism charges. Karaman was one of the mayors elected from the ranks of the HDP and subsequently removed from office by the Interior Ministry.
January 26: A Zonguldak court ruled to block access to a domain used by the pro-Kurdish Jinnews website to publish news.
January 27: A Mersin prosecutor demanded up to 15 years in prison for Osman Şiban, a Kurdish villager who in September 2020 was allegedly tortured by a group of soldiers and who is accused of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
January 27: The Çanakkale Governor’s Office banned a concert organized by the HDP.
January 28: The police in İstanbul detained Kurdish journalist Rojin Altay.
PRISON CONDITIONS
January 26: Reports revealed that inmates in a Kütahya prison did not have adequate access to tap water and that sick inmates in the facility were not provided with medical treatment.
January 27: Reports indicated that security cameras were installed in the wards and bathrooms of a women’s prison in Diyarbakır and that sick inmates were not provided with meals compatible with their medically prescribed diets. The same prison facility also denied inmates’ request for a Kurdish-language newspaper, restricted their right to have books with them and limited their social and collective activities.
January 27: An İzmir prison did not provide adequate heating in wards and did not deliver books sent to inmates.
January 29: A Rize prison did not provide adequate tap water to inmates.
REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
January 23: Greek authorities pushed back to Turkey journalist Murat Verim who fled to Greece to avoid imprisonment. Upon his forcible return to Turkey, Verim was arrested and sent to an Edirne jail on terrorism charges.
January 24: Former HDP executive Mehmet Sayit Demir was reportedly pushed back by Greek forces after fleeing Turkey, and was subsequently arrested and sent to jail for violating parole.
January 28: Reports claimed that Turkish soldiers shot and killed Memdoh Ehmed El Musa, a Syrian citizen attempting to cross the Turkish border.
January 28: A Syrian refugee was found dead at his home in İzmir under suspicious circumstances.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
January 24: The Constitutional Court ruled in an individual application in favor of activist Nazan Bozkurt who in 2019 was punched by a police officer during a demonstration, which led to an orbital fracture. The top court told Ankara prosecutors who had previously dismissed Bozkurt’s complaint to reinvestigate the incident.
January 27: Inmates in a women’s prison in Diyarbakır are reportedly strip-searched during their transfer to courts and hospitals. Their relatives who came to visit are also subjected to strip-searches. Reports also indicated that those who objected to the practice faced visitation bans as disciplinary sanction.
January 27: A Mersin prosecutor demanded up to 15 years in prison for Osman Şiban, a Kurdish villager who in September 2020 was allegedly tortured by a group of soldiers and who is accused of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
January 28: Ankara prosecutors dismissed a complaint filed by jailed journalists who were strip-searched in a women’s prison in the province.