Turkey has experienced one of the sharpest declines in freedoms globally over the past two decades under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, receiving the lowest possible score for the right to due process, according to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2026 report published Thursday.
Turkey’s overall score has fallen by 33 points since 2005, matching the decline recorded by Burkina Faso and El Salvador, and it’s the only European country to be ranked “Not Free” since 2018.
The report documents a broader erosion of political rights and civil liberties since 2005, with declines concentrated in countries classified as “Partly Free,” while 54 countries experienced declines over the past year.
The report traces the dramatic decline in the right to due process in Turkey, once rated “Partly Free” in 2005, to President Erdoğan’s gradual consolidation of power and repression of dissent.
Due process protection began to erode around 2014, when the government reassigned thousands of police officers, judges, and prosecutors. After a coup attempt in 2016, authorities filed waves of charges based on weak evidence or secret testimony, with many defendants held for long periods before trial.
“Since then, the imprisonment of political opponents, independent journalists, and activists has become routine, and Turkey has the worst possible score for the right to due process,” the report says.
The report also raises alarm over the case of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Erdoğan’s main political challenger, warning that he is unlikely to receive a fair trial following his arrest in March 2025 on what it describes as “dubious charges.”
İmamoğlu faces corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated and intended to sideline him ahead of the 2028 general election.
The report also raises concerns about the treatment of migrants and refugees, noting that Turkish authorities phased out protections previously granted to roughly 2.4 million registered Syrian refugees.
Declines in key freedoms in Turkey, including press freedom, digital freedoms and the rule of law has been consistently documented in recent years by international watchdogs and global indices.
Freedom House’s “Freedom in the World” report is one of the most comprehensive annual assessments of global democracy, covering 195 countries and 13 territories.
