Turkey Rights Monitor Issue 116

Below is the weekly roundup of human rights abuses in Turkey:

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST

Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 43 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.

September 6: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the pretrial detention of 230 judges and prosecutors after a failed 2016 coup was unlawful, ordering Turkey to pay 5,000 euros in non-pecuniary damages to every applicant.

September 7: The Forensic Medicine Institution issued a report on Mehmet Emin ?zkan, a 83-year-old ailing prisoner, in which it said that his apparent difficulty walking in a video footage was “exaggerated”. ?zkan is suffering from heart problems, blood pressure, osteolysis and memory loss.

September 9: Aysel Tu?luk, an imprisoned Kurdish politician who was kept behind bars despite being diagnosed with dementia over a year ago, was reportedly hospitalized after her situation worsened.

September 9: The authorities refused to release sick inmate ?emsettin Karg?l? despite a university hospital report describing him as severely disabled. Karg?l? is incarcerated in a Gaziantep prison.

September 9: The Freedom for Lawyers Association (?HD) announced that at least 50 sick prisoners lost their lives in the first eight months of the year.

September 9: Makbule ?zer, an ailing 80-year-old inmate in Van, was released due to her health problems after spending four months behind bars.

September 10: Eda Nur Akkaya, a seven-month pregnant woman under investigation for alleged links to the Gülen movement, was arrested in Turkey after she was pushed back by Greece. Turkey’s laws prohibit the incarceration of pregnant women even if they are found guilty.

September 9: Aysel Tu?luk, an imprisoned Kurdish politician who was kept behind bars despite being diagnosed with dementia over a year ago, was reportedly hospitalized after her situation worsened.

September 9: The authorities refused to release sick inmate ?emsettin Karg?l? despite a university hospital report describing him as severely disabled. Karg?l? is incarcerated in a Gaziantep prison.

September 9: The Freedom for Lawyers Association (?HD) announced that at least 50 sick prisoners lost their lives in the first eight months of the year.

September 9: Makbule ?zer, an ailing 80-year-old inmate in Van, was released due to her health problems after spending four months behind bars.

September 10: Eda Nur Akkaya, a seven-month pregnant woman under investigation for alleged links to the Gülen movement, was arrested in Turkey after she was pushed back by Greece. Turkey’s laws prohibit the incarceration of pregnant women even if they are found guilty.

September 7: Van prosecutors indicted media executives Ferhat ?elik and ?dris Yayla over coverage of allegations that a group of soldiers had tortured two villagers in the province.

September 7: Van prosecutors launched an investigation into journalist Oktay Candemir after he reported on vehicles rented for a presidential rally in the province.

September 8: An ?stanbul court sentenced journalists Sadiye Eser and Sad?k Topalo?lu to six years, three months in prison on terrorism-related charges.

September 8: An Antalya court banned the publication, distribution and sale of a poetry book written by Kurdish politician Figen Yüksekda? who has been behind bars since November 2016.

September 9: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) faulted Turkey in the case of Fehime Ete, a Kurdish woman who was convicted of disseminating terrorist propaganda for celebrating the birthday of jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The court concluded that Ete’s conviction was in violation of freedom of expression.

September 9: ?stanbul courts ruled to block access to at least nine news reports and two opinion pieces about the allegations of a mob boss implicating pro-government businessman Serhat Albayrak.

September 9: An Ankara court ordered opposition politician Canan Kaftanc?o?lu to pay damages to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu for insulting him on social media.

September 10: The police in Gaziantep detained one person over social media commentary.

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW

September 6: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the pretrial detention of 230 judges and prosecutors after a failed 2016 coup was unlawful, ordering Turkey to pay 5,000 euros in non-pecuniary damages to every applicant.

KURDISH MINORITY

September 6: A prison administration in Diyarbak?r refused to deliver three government-critical newspapers to 16 jailed Kurdish journalists.

September 7: Diyarbak?r prosecutors indicted Kurdish politician Leyla Güven, seeking up to 43 years in prison on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda. Güven is already incarcerated on conviction of other terrorism-related charges.

September 8: An ?stanbul court sentenced journalists Sadiye Eser and Sad?k Topalo?lu to six years, three months in prison on terrorism-related charges. The journalists had previously worked as reporters for the Mezopotamya news agency (MA).

September 9: Aysel Tu?luk, an imprisoned Kurdish politician who was kept behind bars despite being diagnosed with dementia over a year ago, was reportedly hospitalized after her situation worsened.

September 9: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) faulted Turkey in the case of Fehime Ete, a Kurdish woman who was convicted of disseminating terrorist propaganda for celebrating the birthday of jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The court concluded that Ete’s conviction was in violation of freedom of expression.

September 11: A racist attack against Kurdish construction workers in Kastamonu resulted in one death and one injury. One person was detained and arrested in connection with the incident.

OTHER MINORITIES

September 8: A church in Malatya filed criminal complaints with prosecutors after it received threats. The church was granted police protection and one individual was briefly detained in connection with the complaint.

PRISON CONDITIONS

September 6: A prison administration in Diyarbak?r refused to deliver three government-critical newspapers to 16 jailed Kurdish journalists.

September 8: Media reports indicated that a Mu?la prison has been holding an inmate named Ali Haydar Ild?z in a one-person cell for five months.

September 9: A Gaziantep prison denied medical treatment to sick inmate ?emsettin Karg?l?.

September 9: A prison administration in Samsun took 15 inmates out of their wards and placed them in one-person cells. The prison guards also confiscated the inmates’ personal items.

REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS

September 5: Faris Muhammed Al-Ali, a 17-year-old Syrian teenager, was stabbed to death in what appears to be a hate crime in Hatay.

September 10: Eda Nur Akkaya, a seven-month pregnant woman under investigation for alleged links to the Gülen movement, was arrested in Turkey after she was pushed back by Greece.

September 11: Family members of 27-year-old Yunus Emre Ayy?ld?z announced that he fell into the Evros river and disappeared after he was pushed back by Greek soldiers while trying to flee Turkey.

TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT

September 5: Imprisoned journalist Ziya Ataman announced that he was strip-searched in prison.

September 5: The guards in an Eski?ehir prison strip-searched inmate ?iyar Y?ld?r?m and verbally threatened him for protesting the practice.

September 6: Media reports said that the guards in a Kocaeli prison have been systematically mistreating inmates.

September 9: A prison administration in Afyon offered to give good behavior points to inmate Lütfi Ko? in exchange for withdrawing his complaint related to an incident of torture that he suffered in the facility.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

September 7: Men killed 31 women and inflicted violence on at least 79 women in August, according to a monthly gender-based violence report released by Bianet.

September 9: Metin Ar, a man who was arrested for threatening his spouse, stabbed her to death after being released.