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.
11 November: Melek İpek, 78, mother of exiled businessman Akın İpek, was arrested in Ankara to serve a six-year sentence for alleged Gülen movement ties. Her family has faced asset seizures and imprisonment, including her brother's 79-year sentence, amid accusations of Turkey using "family punishment" against dissidents.
14 November: Turkish authorities detained 5 individuals in Çanakkale province over alleged links to the Gülen movement.
ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF LIFE
14 November: In Bingöl, Sinan Çıtak, who was under a detention order, was reportedly shot dead by police during an alleged escape attempt while being taken into custody.
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
15 November: Amid protests against the Ministry of Interior’s appointment of trustees to CHP and DEM-affiliated municipalities, 37 individuals were arrested out of 358 detained.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
11 November: Barbaros Şansal, one of Turkey’s most famous fashion designers and an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was briefly detained in İstanbul for comments critical of the Turkish government during a YouTube show in 2019
13 November: Press freedom in Turkey continued to erode in Q3 2024, with 81 journalists prosecuted, 17 detained, escalating censorship measures, and ongoing suppression of independent media.
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
12 November: The Van Governor's Office announced a 10-day ban, from November 12 to 21, on activities such as protests, marches, public or indoor meetings, press statements, sit-ins, surveys, setting up tents or stands, signature campaigns, and the distribution of flyers or brochures. The ban also restricts the entry and exit of individuals deemed likely to participate in these events.
14 November: The Mardin and Batman’s Governor's Offices announced a 10-day ban, from November 14 to 24, on all outdoor gatherings, meetings, marches, press statements, hunger strikes, sit-ins, tent setups, drone activities, surveys, distribution of leaflets or brochures, and hanging banners. The ban also restricts the entry and exit of individuals deemed likely to participate in these activities.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
12 November: Ahmet Özer, the dismissed mayor of Istanbul's Esenyurt district, faces a new investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on charges of "financing terrorism" following his arrest on October 30, 2024.
14 November: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Turkey to pay damages to 468 individuals, ruling their detention in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 2016 was “unlawful” due to a lack of “reasonable suspicion”.
16 November: The Turkish government has sought to lift the immunity of five opposition lawmakers, including pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy and Equality party (DEM Party) representatives Cengiz Çandar, Sabahat Erdoğan Sarıtaş and Salihe Aydeniz as well as Burak Akburak, from the nationalist opposition Good Party (İYİ Party) and independent deputy Yüksel Arslan.
PRISON CONDITIONS
13 November: Reports revealed the violations of rights at Antalya S-Type Prison, including the denial of social and sports activities despite their role in "good behavior" assessments, leading to delayed releases. Prisoners are confined 24/7, face threats from the prison director, restrictions on printed materials, and disciplinary actions for complaints, with breakfast reportedly served at night.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
11 November: A security officer at Istanbul's Sirkeci train station shot and injured a passenger following an argument, with an investigation underway into the incident.
12 November: The Suruç Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided there was no basis for prosecution in a complaint alleging torture, ill-treatment during detention on March 2, 2023, and a strip search in Urfa No. 2 T-Type Prison on March 5, 2024, involving 64-year-old Adle Samur, stating a lack of concrete evidence to pursue charges of misconduct and torture.
14 November: A recent report issued by the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) raised concerns about the treatment of minors in Turkey in an ongoing high-profile trial and criticized the country’s judicial practices, particularly the application of anti-terrorism laws.
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