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Press freedom in January 2021:
Two journalists appeared before a judge per day

In Turkey, the developments concerning press freedom and journalists’ trials in January 2021 constituted a sort of “handbook for prosecuting journalists”. During the month, at least 43 journalists appeared before a judge in various trials across 10 cities. In other words, two journalists were tried every day. Read the full article

Turkey to strip immunities of nine pro-Kurdish deputies

Turkish Interior Ministry has filed requests to lift the parliamentary immunities of nine lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), including co-chair Pervin Buldan, over their alleged role in a series of street protests in 2014, dubbed the Kobane Incidents, Halk TV news site reported on Friday.

For the deputies to face trial, parliament would need to vote on requests that the Justice Ministry in turn would need to accept and process the requests. On Dec. 30, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office prepared an indictment on 108 members of the HDP, including jailed former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and the nine deputies. Read the full article

Kurdish politician Demirtaş indicted with 108 others for Kobane protest


Extradition treaty with China leaves Turkey’s Uighur population in danger

Turkey signed its first extradition treaty with China in 2017, and the treaty is now waiting for ratification before parliament. For a number of years, exiled Uighur Muslims from China’s Xinjiang region who live in Turkey have worried for their safety, and many have already fled to Europe.

I have met Uighur refugees, who initially sought refuge in Turkey, but then decided to claim asylum in Britain as they felt that Turkey would not protect them. One person told me that the government had initially treated the ethnically Turkic Uighur community who had come to Turkey well, working behind the scenes to support them. 

But then, Turkey also deported some Uighurs back to China. It was this inconsistency, they said, that was causing confusion and fear among them. Read the full article


Over 2,400 Turkish doctors quit since beginning of pandemic

More than 2,400 doctors have called it quits since March of last year, when Turkey registered its first coronavirus case, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday. Another 522 doctors working in public hospitals have transferred to private health institutions over the past year, T24 news site cited Koca as saying, responding to parliamentary question filed by an opposition lawmaker.

A total of 858 specialist physicians, 1,410  general practitioners and 144 resident doctors threw in the towel since the beginning of the pandemic, the health minister said. Turkey’s healthcare workers have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, often having to work well beyond their shift limits and contracting COVID-19 at alarming rates.

In September, the country’s medical workers launched a series of protest events, accusing Ankara of mismanaging the pandemic and putting medical workers at risk.


Secret letter reveals how Turkey’s Justice Ministry asked prison administration to isolate former high court judges

Turkey’s Ministry of Justice asked the Keskin chief public prosecutor to take a series of measures to isolate and closely monitor the communications of former high court judges who were removed from their jobs and imprisoned on terror charges in the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt, a letter classified as “secret” has revealed, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported.

The letter, dated October 2016, asks the Keskin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to prevent former judges from congregating with other prisoners and to request transfer of other inmates in event of overcrowding to ensure that the judges remain isolated. The ministry also requested a floor plan showing exactly where each inmate was staying, including the cell numbers, and said special attention needed to be paid when cell reallocation was necessary. Read the full article


Person on Trial for ‘Insulting the President’ in Istanbul

The final trial of the case against Sabri Uzun, former chief of Intelligence Department of Security Directorate, is held at Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No 31 on February 15, 2021. The court sentenced Sabri Uzun to 11 months and 20 days on the charge of ‘insulting the President’ and postponed the sentence.


Detained HDP executives and members

Detained Co-Mayor, City Council Members and HDP Executives in Batman
3 of 8 people (Murat Kılıç, Tayfun Güney and Mehmet Emin Salman) who were detained in Batman on February 14, 2021, are released by the court on judicial control conditions on February 15, 2021. Gülistan Sönük, HDP co-mayor of Bekirhan town and city council members Şükran Çotak, İdris Yalçın, Suat Öztekin who were also detained, were released after statement procedures on February 14, 2021. It is learned that 1 person (Seyid Ali Doğan) is still under custody.

Detained City Council Member and HDP Executives in Siirt
On February 15, 2021, 7 people including Hasret Arslan and Haydar Çağlı city council members from HDP; Mehmet Kayısı, provincial council member from HDP; Tamer Kılınç, provincial executive of HDP and Abdulgaffur Kubilay, Kurtalan district executive of HDP are detained in house raids in Siirt.

Detained HDP Executives in Kars
3 of 6 people including HDP provincial co-chair Sevda Subaşı who were detained on February 12, 2021 in Kars, are arrested by the court on February 15, 2021. 3 people are released on judicial control conditions.

Detained City Council Member, HDP Executive and Association Executive in Ağrı
On February 15, 2021, 13 people including city council member Rahim Gönen, HDP Party Assembly member Talha Kaya, district executive Ahmet Yaşmış and Association of Prisoners’ Families (TUHAY-DER) representative Cemil Koç, are detained in house raids in Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı.

Detained HDP Executives in Batman
HDP Batman provincial co-chairs Fatma Ablay and Ömer Kutlu, and central district co-chair Gurbet Doğan are detained after the police raid to provincial and district offices of HDP in Batman on February 15, 2021.

Detained HDP Member in Diyarbakır
HDP Youth Assembly member Cesur Yılmaz is detained at a police control point in Bismil district of Diyarbakır on February 15, 2021.

Detained HDP Members in Manisa
On February 15, 2021, 8 members of HDP Youth Assembly are detained in house raids in Manisa. Detained people are: Zahir Aslan, Aleyna Tekin, Mahsun Silinsin, Hamza Aslan, Ahmet Aslan, Sultan Aslan, Niyazi Mehmet, Ali Polat.

Detained HDP Executive in Elazığ
On February 15, 2021, HDP district co-chair Veysi Sarıtağ is detained in a house raid in Karakoçan district of Elazığ.

Detained HDP Executive in Van
Ökkeş Kava, former provincial co-chair of HDP in Van is detained on February 15, 2021


Detained HDP Executives, Members and Other People
HDP Law and Human Rights Committee made a declaration on February 14, 2021 and stated that 143 members and executives of HDP are detained between February 12 and 14, 2021.

On February 15, 2021 the Ministry of Interior declared that 718 people including HDP’s provincial and district co-chairs are detained in operations covering 40 cities through “PKK/KCK” investigations.

Detained Co-Mayor, City Council Member and HDP Executives in Batman
8 people including Gülistan Sönük, HDP co-mayor of Bekirhan town and city council members Şükran Çotak, İdris Yalçın, Suat Öztekin are detained in Batman on February 14, 2021.

Gülistan Sönük, Şükran Çotak, İdris Yalçın and Suat Öztekin are released after statement procedures at the gendarmerie on the same day. It is learned that 4 people (HDP district executive Tayfun Güney, HDP provincial executive Murat Kılıç, HDP Youth Assembly members Mehmet Emin Salman and Seyid Ali Doğan) are still under custody.

Detained HDP Executive and Other People in Konya for Social Media Posts
7 people including Süleyman İnan, former district co-chair of HDP in Kulu, who were detained for social media posts, on February 11, 2021 in Konya, are released after statement procedures at the police on February 12, 2021. Detained people were: Süleyman İnan, İsmet Üçler, Osman Ekici, Erdal Taşkıran, Mustafa Yılmaz, Hasan Oyucu, Ekrem Söğüt.

Detained HDP Executives in Kars
On February 12, 2021, 6 people including HDP provincial co-chair Sevda Subaşı and HDP executives Zeki Şur and Mahmut Nadiroğlu are detained in house raids in Kars.

Detained HDP Members in Kocaeli
On February 12, 2021, 13 people including HDP members are detained in house raids in Kocaeli. Some of the detained people are: Saki Ermiş, Şirin Ermiş, Ömer Aslan, İbrahim Güler, Güney Meriç, Erkan Macak, Sezgin Güler, Rodi Babayiğit, Hakan Karakoç.

Detained HDP Member in Şırnak
On February 13, 2021, Mustafa Dal, a member of HDP, is detained in a house raid in Cizre district of Şırnak. The reason of detention is unknown.

Detained HDP Members and Executives in Aydın
On February 14, 2021, 9 members and executives of HDP are detained in house raids in Aydın. Detained people are: HDP Party Assembly member Ayfer Demirer, provincial co-chair Aysel Bahtiyar Ünsel, Didim district co-chair Mehtap Bozkurt, Söke co-chair Sadegül Akalın, provincail executive Neslihan Arviş, Saadet Açık, Azize Ergün, Nazlı Boza and HDP member Söylemez Akalın.

Detained HDP Executives in Yalova
On February 14, 2021, 8 executives of HDP (Mahsun Köroğlu, Ömer Polat, Bedrettin Seziş, Kamuran Özkartal, Mehmet Kıran, Azat Güner, Ömer Faruk Çetin, Mehmet Taş) are detained in house raids in Yalova.

Detained HDP Executive in Mersin
Songül Eriş, HDP’s provincial executive, is detained in a house raid in Mersin on February 14, 2021.

Co-Mayor on Trial
The trial of the case against Mehmet Demir, Batman city co-mayor who was suspended and replaced with a trustee, is held at Batman Heavy Penal Court No 2 on February 12, 2021. Mehmet Demir joined the trial from prison via sound and vision system. After defence hearings the court released Mehmet Demir and adjourned the trial to June 4, 2021.Mehmet Demir was detained on July 21, 2021 and was arrested on July 22, 2021.

Police Raid to a Political Party Office in Aydın
It is learned that provincial office of HDP in Aydın was raided and searched by the police through an investigation against HDP members and executives on February 14, 2021.

Investigation Against Parliamentary Members
It is learned from the news coverage of February 14, 2021 that, Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation against HDP Istanbul MP Hüda Kaya and HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, for their declarations on 13 people including soldiers and police officers who were abducted by PKK at different times, lost their lives in the military operation in Gare area of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government.
Source: https://en.tihv.org.tr/documentation/
13-15-february-2021-hrft-documentation-center-
daily-human-rights-report/


https://en.tihv.org.tr/documentation/
16-february-2021-hrft-documentation-center-
daily-human-rights-report/



Enforced disappearances in Turkey: an old habit or a new trend?

Turkey has a long history of state-sponsored abductions and enforced disappearances, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.

Between 2002 and 2015 only one case of enforced disappearance was transmitted to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (’the UN Working Group‘), compared to 214 registered cases in 1980-1990 (UN Working Group, 2020 Annual Report, p. 48).

However, this positive tendency seems to have been completely reversed since an attempted coup d’état to overthrow the Turkish government was reported to have taken place on 15 July 2016. Since then, a total of 14 new cases of state-sponsored abductions were transmitted to the UN Working Group (UN Working Group, 2020 Annual Report, p. 48). Read the full article

More about disappearances/abductions in Turkey


Diyarbakır’s Sur: where our 7,000 year-old home is up for sale

The neighbourhood of Sur in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeastern province of Diyarbakır is our home of 7,000 years. The ancient neighbourhood, which once flourished as a popular tourism destination in the heart of the Kurdish capital of Amed, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been through hell over the last six years.

Destroyed in the conflict between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish military, faced with years of curfews, forced evictions, demolitions and most recently what is being called an urban transformation project, Sur today is a source of grief for myself and other local residents. Read the full article

Torture and Ill-Treatment in Police Interventions to Protests in Istanbul and Izmir

Torture and Ill-Treatment in Police Interventions to Protests in Istanbul
It is learned that the people who were detained in police interventions against protests of police interventions against protests in Boğaziçi University in Istanbul on February 2, 2021, were subjected to physical and verbal violence of the police during interventions and under custody; and that at least 1 woman was subjected to sexual abuse. It is also learned that 1 journalist was injured at face by a rubber bullet fired by the police.

One of the detainees, K. Ç, stated the following on physical violence and sexual abuse: “There were 4 riot police officers behind me. Somebody squeezed my bottom while I was encircled. I turned back as I noticed, and I saw these 4 riot police officers behind me, and I reacted against them, telling to move away. (…) While they were putting me in the detention car, my right arm was twisted and I was dragged then I was pushed to the detention car, facing down on it. At that moment, the police officer who was holding my right arm, pushed his leg on my genitals and tried to handcuff me behind my back. A female friend by me reacted against him and told him to get his leg back. I was handcuffed behind my back and put in the detention car.”

Another detainee E. E., stated the following: “We were attacked on a busy street so many of us were in danger of being hit by the cars. While they were detaining us, at least 10 police officers were swooping down on per person. As a result, one of our friend has a fracture in foot, one has dislocated jaw and another one has head trauma because of being beaten.”

Şeyma Çopur stated the following: “We were waiting at the bus stop while we were faced with violence of the police. There were no warnings, the police chief ran to us, pushed one of our friend, saying ‘look down’. We were detained immediately. (…) They handcuffed all of us behind our backs. We were harassed both physically and verbally, they cursed at us a lot. They said, ‘We are the state, do you know what we can do here?’. They squeezed testicles of our male friends. We were still in handcuffs behind our backs under custody. One of our friend were suffering from serious bruises on the wrist but they did not loosen the handcuffs. The police officers dislocated one friend’s jaw. We were beaten in the detention car, I have crushes and bruises on my body.”

Batuhan Çotur stated the following: “The police verbally harassed and committed physical violence while they were detaining us. They punched us and dragged on the floor. They used handcuffs behind our backs and put us in the detention car. Verbal harassment and physical torture continued in the detention car as well.”

Rıdvan Gezer stated the following: “The police tried to handcuff us behind our backs while they were detaining us. Then they failed to handcuff us and tried to take off our face masks, pushed us and dragged to the detention car. Many of our friends were kicked and punched at these moments. I was put in the car without handcuffs so they dragged me out of the car, and tortured me to put handcuffs. Then I was taken to another car, a police officer came behind me and started to punch me. And he brought another friend of mine, and pushed him on my body, then he took a club from the car and started to hit both of us. I was in handcuffs behind my back so I could not cover my head, he hit my head at least twice with the club.”

Elif Üçerli stated the following: “We were detained around 16.30, and were kept in the detention car until 5 a.m. in the ne next morning. This was itself a form of torture. They continuously beat us; I still have pain in my shoulders. I suffered from high blood tension for a long time in there. They tried to seize our phones without any record.”

Tanya Kara stated the following: “They detained us with torture. We were walking on the street while they have detained us. They dragged our friends on the ground, they forced us to lay down on the ground and handcuffed us behind our backs. There were four or five police officers stepping onto us. Some of our friends are severely beaten at the head. They insulted us, and threatened us saying ‘Do not forget our faces’. They were especially rough on women. They pulled their hair, and kicked them on the ground while detaining. A friend of us who was detained in Bebek, was kicked at her vagina.”

Caner Delisu stated the following: “They brought a baton in the detention car and hit one of our friend with it, even at the head. They were threatening us, saying ‘We will finish you’. They kicked our head to the car when we rejected being handcuffed behind our backs. They did this in front of the hospital. When we reacted, they went in and started to insult us, they said ‘You are terrorists’. They kicked my leg just before I went into the doctor’s room”.

(02/039) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Police Interventions to Protests in Izmir
It is learned that the people who were detained in police interventions against press declarations to protest police interventions to protests in Boğaziçi University and to protests discrimination against LGBTIQs in Izmir on February 2, 2021, were subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police during interventions and under custody.

One of the detainees, Berke Avcı, stated the following: “There were 7 or 8 police officers coming onto me and they started to pull me, one of them hit my head with the police wireless when they could not make me fall down, and the wireless broke into pieces. Then the number of police officers raised, and they forced me to lay down on the ground. I was resisting while they were pulling my hands towards my back to handcuff me. One of the police officers started to kick my stomach while the other was kicking my head. I was trying to lift my body and a police officer stepped on my head, and stayed on my head on one leg for a while. Then they pushed me back to the ground, a police officer stepped on my hand this time. Then I noticed that the police officers were pushing harder to handcuff me behind my back so that they were about to break my hand, I let them to take my hands towards my back. I was wearing a coat and a rucksack so they could not fasten the cable tie. This made them to force my hand further. (…) I saw that many of my friends in the detention car were in handcuffs behind their backs and they were being beaten by the police pulling their hair, sitting on them and kicking them.”

Zilan Tayboğa stated the following: “I was handcuffed behind my back while being detained. A male police officer pushed his knee on my back, another one pulled my hair and hit my head to the ground which split my lip open and bleed. (…) They continued to beat us in the detention car.”


A look at Turkey’s brain drain

A total of 330,289 people emigrated from Turkey in 2019, according to the government’s official statistics body. Turkey’s brain drain has been talked about for a number of years, but it is quite difficult to quantify exactly what effect it is having, because it’s difficult to measure the impact of people not being somewhere. Read the full article 

Read more about brain drain in turkey


Turkey’s press freedom violations in numbers
at the end of January 2021:

70 170 1406 76%
Journalists imprisoned
in Turkey
Media outlets forcibly
closed since 2016
Years of jail time handed
to journalists since 2016
Evidence direcctley
consisting of journalistic work
Souce: https://freeturkeyjournalists.ipi.media/

Turkish Militias and Proxies

Erdoğan has created a private military and paramilitary system. He deploys this apparatus for domestic and foreign operations without official oversight.

This study, which reveals the extent to which Turkey aggressively deploys proxies and militias to project power across the Middle East, is the first fruit of a cooperation agreement between the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and TRENDS Research & Advisory of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The two institutes will continue to research together regional military and security issues. They also intend to conduct symposia and maintain academic exchange programs. Read the full article


Advocates of silenced Turkey report 2020

When the Turkish President declared in an infamous speech that “old Turkey no longer exists. This Turkey is new Turkey”, the story of Turkish authoritarianism had once and for all taken on a new character. Since July of 2016, the Turkish government has improperly imprisoned 130,214 homemakers, teachers, NGO workers, academics, judges, prosecutors, and journalists. Read more.........

Human rights lawyers in Turkey face threats and detention

24 January marks the Day of the Endangered Lawyer, a moment to recognise the threats facing lawyers around the world who dare to stand up for human rights. In recent years Amnesty International has felt the impact of these threats close to home, through the government crackdown on our colleagues in Turkey. Read the article............

Council of Europe anti-torture Committee
publishes two reports on Turkey

Report to the Turkish Government on the visit to Turkey carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

BİA Media Monitor 2020

In 2020, 23 journalists were sentenced to a total of 103 years and 3 days in prison. At least 48 journalists were detained in a year, 430 journalists were detained in five years. At least 18 journalists were assaulted in 2020, 139 journalists were assaulted in five years. In six years, 63 journalists were convicted of "insulting the president. Critical newspapers' public ads were suspended for 276 days. Read the full article

 

3,362 people killed, 3,534 mistreated or tortured in Turkey in 2020,
opposition MP says

An annual report on human rights violations in Turkey, drafted by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu, has revealed 3,362 deaths and 3,534 incidents of torture or maltreatment in 2020, with 1,855 of them taking place in prisons, the İleri Haber news website reported on Saturday. Read the full article


The year is 2020: What happened?!

.
Read the full article


Human Rights Watch country report 2020: Tyrkey

Read about Freedom of Expression, Association, and Assembly - Human Rights Defenders, Lawyers - Torture and Ill-Treatment in Custody, Enforced Disappearances - Kurdish Conflict and Crackdown on Opposition - Refugees and Migrants - Key International Actors.

Reports about torture and ill-treatment in Turkey


Provided by HRFT Documentation Center Human Rights Report.
September 2020 - October 2020 - November 2020 - December 2020 - January 2021

HRFT Documentation Center Human Rights Report
1 - 16 February 2021 reports about torture and ill-treatment in Turkey.


(02/229) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) made a declaration on February 17, 2021 and stated that, Dilek Hatipoğlu, Hakkari co-mayor, who was transferred from Ankara Sinan Prison to Van T Type Prison on February 12, 2021 rejected to strip search at the entrance of prison, and that she was subjected to strip search by the correction officers using physical violence against her.

It is learned from the news coverage of February 16, 2021 that, prisoners in Düzce T Type Prison were subjected to verbal violence of the correction officers during ward searches.


(02/231) Torture and Ill-Treatment Under Custody
It is learned from the news coverage of February 16, 2021 that, HDP Youth Assembly member Muhammed Ünal was subjected to physical and psychological torture and ill-treatment under custody at Istanbul Directorate of Security. Muhammed Ünal was arrested on February 7, 2021 for the protests against new rector appointed to Boğaziçi University, and he was released upon appeal on February 12, 2021.

Muhammed Ünal stated the following: “At the security directorate, they asked me questions, ‘Why did you come to Boğaziçi? Who sent you? Why are you here, what is your purpose? Who are you working for?’ and said ‘If you help us we will help you too’. (…) When I asked them whether these questions are within the official statement, they responded ‘No, we are having a casual conversation’. I told them it was a criminal act what they do, and I will not speak without my lawyer and use the right to remain silent. And then I was subjected to physical and psychological violence and torture.”

(02/169) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 11, 2021 that, 5 prisoners in Mersin Tarsus Prison Compound are transferred to other prisons under coercion. It is stated that 3 prisoners (Gökhan Çetin and 2 prisoners) were transferred to Kayseri Bünyan T Type Prison and 2 prisoners (Vedat Bektaş and Selahattin Ortaç) are transferred to Manisa Akhisar T Type Prison.

(02/136) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 10, 2021 that, Murat Aktaş, a prisoner who was subjected to physical violence of the correction officers in Edirne F Type Prison was subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

(02/073) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 4, 2021 that in Mardin E Type Prison, water cuts are too often and the food given to prisoners is non-hygienic.

(02/058) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 3, 2021 that, in Van T Type Prison, after the search in the ward where journalists Şehriban Abi and Nazan Şen are also kept in, blankets in the ward were seized without any reason by the officers.

It is learned from the news coverage of February 3, 2021 that, in Van High Security Prison, the letter of journalist Cemil Uğur addressing Evrensel daily newspaper was considered as improper because of expressions on journalist Metin Göktepe, who was killed by the police in 1996, and on torture and ill-treatment in prison; and that the letter was seized by prison administration.

(02/058) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 3, 2021 that, in Van T Type Prison, after the search in the ward where journalists Şehriban Abi and Nazan Şen are also kept in, blankets in the ward were seized without any reason by the officers.

It is learned from the news coverage of February 3, 2021 that, in Van High Security Prison, the letter of journalist Cemil Uğur addressing Evrensel daily newspaper was considered as improper because of expressions on journalist Metin Göktepe, who was killed by the police in 1996, and on torture and ill-treatment in prison; and that the letter was seized by prison administration.

(02/036) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 2, 2021 that, prisoners who reject strip search in Malatya Akçadağ T Type Prison were subjected to physical violence, and that prisoners were forced to stand up during roll-calls, hot and cold water given to prisoners was restricted and social, cultural and sports rights of prisoners were restricted too.

(02/038) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Police Interventions to Protests in Istanbul
It is learned that the people who were detained in police interventions against protests of police interventions against protests in Boğaziçi University in Istanbul on February 2, 2021, were subjected to physical and verbal violence of the police during interventions and under custody; and that at least 1 woman was subjected to sexual abuse. It is also learned that 1 journalist was injured at face by a rubber bullet fired by the police.

One of the detainees, K. Ç, stated the following on physical violence and sexual abuse: “There were 4 riot police officers behind me. Somebody squeezed my bottom while I was encircled. I turned back as I noticed, and I saw these 4 riot police officers behind me, and I reacted against them, telling to move away. (…) While they were putting me in the detention car, my right arm was twisted and I was dragged then I was pushed to the detention car, facing down on it. At that moment, the police officer who was holding my right arm, pushed his leg on my genitals and tried to handcuff me behind my back. A female friend by me reacted against him and told him to get his leg back. I was handcuffed behind my back and put in the detention car.”

Another detainee E. E., stated the following: “We were attacked on a busy street so many of us were in danger of being hit by the cars. While they were detaining us, at least 10 police officers were swooping down on per person. As a result, one of our friend has a fracture in foot, one has dislocated jaw and another one has head trauma because of being beaten.”

Şeyma Çopur stated the following: “We were waiting at the bus stop while we were faced with violence of the police. There were no warnings, the police chief ran to us, pushed one of our friend, saying ‘look down’. We were detained immediately. (…) They handcuffed all of us behind our backs. We were harassed both physically and verbally, they cursed at us a lot. They said, ‘We are the state, do you know what we can do here?’. They squeezed testicles of our male friends. We were still in handcuffs behind our backs under custody. One of our friend were suffering from serious bruises on the wrist but they did not loosen the handcuffs. The police officers dislocated one friend’s jaw. We were beaten in the detention car, I have crushes and bruises on my body.”

Batuhan Çotur stated the following: “The police verbally harassed and committed physical violence while they were detaining us. They punched us and dragged on the floor. They used handcuffs behind our backs and put us in the detention car. Verbal harassment and physical torture continued in the detention car as well.”

Rıdvan Gezer stated the following: “The police tried to handcuff us behind our backs while they were detaining us. Then they failed to handcuff us and tried to take off our face masks, pushed us and dragged to the detention car. Many of our friends were kicked and punched at these moments. I was put in the car without handcuffs so they dragged me out of the car, and tortured me to put handcuffs. Then I was taken to another car, a police officer came behind me and started to punch me. And he brought another friend of mine, and pushed him on my body, then he took a club from the car and started to hit both of us. I was in handcuffs behind my back so I could not cover my head, he hit my head at least twice with the club.”

Elif Üçerli stated the following: “We were detained around 16.30, and were kept in the detention car until 5 a.m. in the ne next morning. This was itself a form of torture. They continuously beat us; I still have pain in my shoulders. I suffered from high blood tension for a long time in there. They tried to seize our phones without any record.”

Tanya Kara stated the following: “They detained us with torture. We were walking on the street while they have detained us. They dragged our friends on the ground, they forced us to lay down on the ground and handcuffed us behind our backs. There were four or five police officers stepping onto us. Some of our friends are severely beaten at the head. They insulted us, and threatened us saying ‘Do not forget our faces’. They were especially rough on women. They pulled their hair, and kicked them on the ground while detaining. A friend of us who was detained in Bebek, was kicked at her vagina.”

Caner Delisu stated the following: “They brought a baton in the detention car and hit one of our friend with it, even at the head. They were threatening us, saying ‘We will finish you’. They kicked our head to the car when we rejected being handcuffed behind our backs. They did this in front of the hospital. When we reacted, they went in and started to insult us, they said ‘You are terrorists’. They kicked my leg just before I went into the doctor’s room”.

(02/039) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Police Interventions to Protests in Izmir
It is learned that the people who were detained in police interventions against press declarations to protest police interventions to protests in Boğaziçi University and to protests discrimination against LGBTIQs in Izmir on February 2, 2021, were subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police during interventions and under custody.

One of the detainees, Berke Avcı, stated the following: “There were 7 or 8 police officers coming onto me and they started to pull me, one of them hit my head with the police wireless when they could not make me fall down, and the wireless broke into pieces. Then the number of police officers raised, and they forced me to lay down on the ground. I was resisting while they were pulling my hands towards my back to handcuff me. One of the police officers started to kick my stomach while the other was kicking my head. I was trying to lift my body and a police officer stepped on my head, and stayed on my head on one leg for a while. Then they pushed me back to the ground, a police officer stepped on my hand this time. Then I noticed that the police officers were pushing harder to handcuff me behind my back so that they were about to break my hand, I let them to take my hands towards my back. I was wearing a coat and a rucksack so they could not fasten the cable tie. This made them to force my hand further. (…) I saw that many of my friends in the detention car were in handcuffs behind their backs and they were being beaten by the police pulling their hair, sitting on them and kicking them.”

Zilan Tayboğa stated the following: “I was handcuffed behind my back while being detained. A male police officer pushed his knee on my back, another one pulled my hair and hit my head to the ground which split my lip open and bleed. (…) They continued to beat us in the detention car.”

 

(02/021) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison
It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, in Mersin Tarsus Women’s Prison, hot water is not provided to the wards on the grounds of building renovation process and thus prisoners have to use cold water in showers. It is also stated in the news reports that the heating does not work in wards.

It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, Doğu Demirtaş and Selahattin Can Uğuzeş, Boğaziçi University students who were arrested on January 30, 2021, were subjected to verbal violence of the correction officers in Metris Prison.

January 2021

Source: https://en.tihv.org.tr/


Black Sites in Turkey

In a near-repeat of the CIA’s ‘extraordinary renditions’, the regime of Turkish president Erdoğan is kidnapping dozens of members of the Gülen movement from around the world. Victims are now raising a serious accusation: secret torture sites are part of the repression. A team of nine media organizations from eight countries, coordinated by CORRECTIV, investigates. Read the story

Turkey's Academic Community in Paralysis

Following a four-year crackdown and a massive purge of scholars, Turkey's academic
community is now severely paralyzed, while thousands of dismissed academics still await justice, facing lengthy delays in appealing their dismissals and unable to work in academia. Read the report.

The Kobanî massacre and the protests afterwards.

The Kobanî massacre was a combination of suicide missions and attacks on Kurdish  civilians by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on the Kurdish-held city of Kobanî, beginning on Thursday, 25 June, and culminating on Friday, 26 June 2015.  The attacks continued into 28 June. Read about the attack and the later protests


Torture and ill-treatment in Turkey

Every month, human rights organizations, the media and victims report cases of torture and ill-treatment in Turkish prisons and police stations. Here are some sources:


Operation Gladio B (II)

Operation Gladio B was a classified ongoing expansion of Operation Gladio. The original Gladio was established just after the end of World War II by a small number of senior officials withinOSS/CIA, MI6 and NATO. This was a top secret network of fascist "stay-behind" cells trained to carry out acts of terrorism in the event of a Soviet invasion.

This was exposed in the 1980's after they were used to carry out a string of false flag attacks , mostly in Italy, which were initially blamed on communist groups. As the cold war ended, this strategy of tension was diversified to include Gladio B, which substitutes Muslims for fascists and neo-nazis.
Read about Gladio B

The Imam's Army

The Imam's Army (Turkish: İmamın Ordusu) is a book by Turkish journalist Ahmet Şık on the life and work of Fethullah Gülen and his Gülen movement. Şık was detained in March 2011, before the book was published, and the draft book was seized by the government and banned, claiming it was an "illegal organizational document" of the secret organization Ergenekon.
Şık was detained pending trial, being eventually released pending trial in March 2012. In the interim, in an act of anti-censorship defiance, a version of the book was released in November 2011 under the name 000Kitap (000Book). Read more about "The Imam's Army"

Erdoğan’s government tightens stranglehold on civil society groups - Amnesty

Turkey’s new law designed to prevent terrorism financing raises the possibility that rights groups may be abolished in the country, said Tarık Beyhan, a director at Amnesty International in Turkey.

“This law provides the interior minister with the authority to shut down any group whenever he wants without a chance for appeal,” Beyhan said, according to the Financial Times.

The bill, drafted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), was introduced to comply with a United Nations Security Council counterterrorism resolution and was approved in response to a 2019 report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental money-laundering and terrorism financing watchdog.

Turkey’s parliament passed the "Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction” on early on Sunday. It subjects non-governmental organisations to Interior Ministry inspections and requests for permission to accept donations, limiting online fundraising. It also allows the government to appoint trustees to NGO boards and halt their activities based on inspection reports rather than a court decision.

“Additional provisions were added secretly with the ulterior motive of further limiting the freedom of civil society to organise and assemble,” Beyhan said. “Human rights groups are frequently exposed to terrorism accusations (and) this law relies on ambiguous definitions of terrorism to render associations dysfunctional.”

The oversight rules for NGOs apply to a myriad of civil society groups, from rights advocates to sports associations to religious groups, the FT said.

A crackdown on civil society in Turkey intensified after 2016, when the government declared a state of emergency following a failed military coup and presidential decrees shut down 1,748 foundations and associations in the span of two years.

 

Council of Europe media freedom alerts: Turkey

Journalists Arrested in Major Clampdown 2016-17-18-19

Index 2016 2017 2018 2019




Human Rights Watch country report:
Events in Tyrkey 2020



Council of Europe anti-torture Committee
publishes two
reports on Turkey



Black Sites in Turkey



Advocates of silenced
Turkey report 2020

About Some sources Gladio B: Gulen & CIA.
Abduction/ missing persons. Brain drain Torture