ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 8 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.
November 4: The authorities in northwest Turkey detained four people allegedly affiliated with the Gülen movement who were reportedly attempting to flee to neighboring Greece.
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
November 1: The police intervened the "Peoples resist from Palestine to Rojava" demonstration in Sultangazi district of Istanbul and detained 17 people.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
October 30: Turkish authorities banned access to more than 40,000 URLs in 2022, with news reports about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family at the top of the list.
October 30: At least 2 news articles related to the revelation that a Yazidi girl in a state-run dormitory was "boarding" on weekends at the home of an ISIS family who kidnapped the child, brought her to Turkey and then sold her on the "dark web" were blocked upon the request of the Ministry of Family and Social Services.
October 31: A teacher was briefly detained in southern Turkey for allegedly targeting “Turkey’s Century,” an election campaign promise made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to elevate Turkey to global prominence, in a speech during the 100th anniversary celebration of the Turkish Republic.
October 31: At least 3 news articles about the "Operation Pavement" case published in 2007 were blocked from access under the right to be forgotten.
November 1: Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against Dinçer Gökçe, the editor-in-chief of Halk TV, for 'publicly disseminating misleading information' and he was detained by the police.
November 1: Tolga Şardan, a journalist with the T24 news website was detained earlier on Wednesday following a search of his residence over an article that revealed the existence of a report by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) on corruption within the judiciary.
November 1: At least 9 news articles about the bribery ring in the courthouse and the news articles were ruled to be deleted on the grounds of violation of personal rights.
November 1: A content on the Engelliweb website was ordered to be deleted by the Istanbul 3rd Criminal Judge of Peace on the grounds of violation of personal rights.
November 2: The police in Balıkesir detained journalist Cengiz Erdinç on accusations of spreading misinformation.
November 2: A Kurdish writer, Dilşah Kocakaya, was sent to prison to serve a 15-month sentence on conviction of disseminating terrorist propaganda when acting as the symbolic editor-in-chief of a now-closed Kurdish newspaper.
November 2: The police raided the Idil Cultural Center in Okmeydanı and detained 8 Grup Yorum members and a visitor who was there at the time.
November 2: Within the scope of the investigation launched after a dispute at the wedding of 17-year-olds who got married with the approval of their families, at least 3 news articles about the revelation that the bride's father Y.D., who received 250 thousand TL dowry from the man's side, shared his daughter's photo on his social media account with the message 'This girl is for sale' in 2019, were blocked from access with the decision of Balıkesir 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace on the grounds of violation of personal rights.
November 2: T24 writer Tolga Şardan's article titled "What's in the "judicial report" submitted by MİT to the Presidency?" was blocked from access and ordered to be deleted on the grounds of violation of personal rights.
November 2: At least 3 news report about the Yazidi child taken under state protection being handed over to his kidnappers was blocked from access upon the request of the Ministry of Family and Social Services on the grounds of violation of personal rights.
November 3: At least 3 news articles about the "Operation Sidewalk" case were ordered to be deleted from the news articles with the decision of Siverek Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated November 3, 2023 with the decision of Siverek Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated November 3, 2023, where the name of the claimant was mentioned within the scope of the right to be forgotten.
November 4: A total of 63 journalists were behind bars in Turkey as of November 3.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
October 30: Lawyers for a Kurdish politician, Gültan Kışanak, who has been jailed for seven years called on Turkish judicial authorities to release her as she has spent the maximum amount of time behind bars without a conviction upheld by an appeals court.
October 31: A high criminal court in İstanbul failed to comply with a recent ruling from Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which found rights violations in the continued incarceration of an opposition lawmaker, despite calls for his release.
KURDISH MINORITY
November 1: Former HDP Istanbul MP Hüda Kaya, who was detained at Istanbul Airport after Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against her, was arrested on charges of participating in unlawful meetings or demonstrations and insisting on dispersing despite warnings and use of force, and resisting with more than one person to prevent the execution of duty.
PRISON CONDITIONS
October 30: An opposition lawmaker in Turkey announced that a prison in Edirne is holding 1,800 inmates even though its capacity is 600, forcing some 650 prisoners to sleep on the floor.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
November 2: Pınar Birkoç was subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police during a house raid in Istanbul.
November 2: Selami Üstündağ, a prisoner in Erzincan T Type Prison was subjected to physical violence because he rejected strip search and was transferred to Samsun Kavaklı S Type Prison.