At least 1,842 people were subjected to torture or ill-treatment and 6,719 were arbitrarily detained in Turkey in 2025 as judicial pressure on government critics and restrictions on fundamental freedoms continued, according to an annual report by the Human Rights Association (İHD).
The İHD’s “2025 Human Rights Violations Report” documents violations across Turkey based on data compiled by the association as well as publicly available information and data from other rights groups.
The association said its findings showed a continued erosion in democratic rights and freedoms and persistent authoritarian trends in 2025. with the government using the judiciary and law enforcement to suppress social and political dissent, resulting in violations across a broad range of fundamental rights. Although developments toward a peaceful resolution of Turkey’s longstanding Kurdish conflict had raised hopes, the group said they were not accompanied by steps toward greater democratization.
The report said most cases of torture or ill-treatment occurred during police interventions in demonstrations, affecting 1,493 people, while 185 inmates were subjected to similar treatment in prisons.
The report documented 20 suspicious deaths in detention facilities, including 16 in prisons. Two sick prisoners also died in hospitals while receiving treatment.
The report also documented the killing of 299 women and 64 children by men during the year, while the deaths of another 471 were recorded as suspicious.
The İHD said 6,719 people were arbitrarily detained during the year and 1,328 people were jailed pending trial.
Restrictions on freedom of assembly were also widespread, with authorities preventing 306 demonstrations and public gatherings and police intervening in 268 others. Police detained 8,477 people, while 1,112 people were jailed pending trial in cases related to their participation in demonstrations, and another 1,625 were put under judicial supervision.
Restrictions on freedom of expression extended beyond demonstrations. At least 507 people were detained and 109 jailed pending trial for expressing their views in writing, verbally or through other means, while 123 were placed under judicial supervision.
Journalists were also subjected to widespread legal pressure, with 303 facing investigations or court proceedings during the year. Forty-two were jailed and 28 remained behind bars at the end of 2025, while authorities blocked access to 489 news reports.
According to Justice Ministry figures cited by the İHD, prosecutors filed 9,348 cases against 8,005 people in 2025 under laws criminalizing insults of the president, state symbols and institutions. Courts convicted 1,923 defendants under those provisions, while deferring the announcement of verdicts for another 2,127.
The report also highlighted government intervention in opposition-run municipalities. During 2025, 22 mayors and co-mayors in 21 municipalities were removed from office. Since the 2024 local elections, 27 mayors, including five metropolitan mayors, had been removed by the end of 2025, with elected administrations in 13 municipalities replaced by government-appointed trustees.
The association said its figures reflect only cases that reached the public or were reported to its offices and warned that the true scale of violations is likely higher.
Founded in 1986, the Ankara-based İHD is one of Turkey’s oldest human rights organizations and has for decades monitored and documented rights violations across the country.
