Turkey sees record increase in number of prisons, rights violations under AKP rule
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has built more than 200 prisons in the past 16 years and continues to allocate large funds...
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs files complaint against journalist Fatih Altaylı
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs on Monday filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against journalist Fatih Altaylı for allegedly...
Erdoğan steps back from threat to expel Western envoys
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday stepped back from his threat to expel 10 Western envoys over their joint statement of support for...
Turkish interior minister targets teacher who was beaten by police during demonstration
Turkey’s interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, targeted a teacher who was beaten by police officers on Monday during a demonstration, calling her a “terrorist,” the...
89 detained over alleged Gülen links in a week
Eighty-nine people have over the past week been detained on warrants issued by Turkish prosecutors for alleged links to the Gülen movement, a faith-based...
Turkish government to set up directorate to inspect social media posts for disinformation
The “Social Media Directorate,” a body that would inspect social media posts for disinformation, will be established under a new law to be proposed...
Turkey’s Erdoğan is on a rampage against rights and democracy, says Human Rights Watch
The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is escalating its assaults on critics, parliamentary democracy and women's rights, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in...
I was electrocuted, beaten and made impotent, torture victim says
Ayhan Demir, 45, said he was made impotent as a result of the sexual torture and electrocution he was subjected to during his detention...
Turkey seeks extra time from ECtHR to submit action plan on landmark ruling
The Turkish government has requested extra time from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to submit an action plan requested by the court...
Detention of Turkish columnist arbitrary; writing columns, books cannot justify detention, says UN working...
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has concluded that the arrest and detention of Ali Ünal, a theologian and former columnist for the...
Latest Reports
Human Rights in Turkey: 2025 in Review
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This report highlights the most important developments in the area of human rights in Turkey in 2025, a year marked by continued democratic...
Weaponized Diplomacy: How Erdoğan Uses Turkish Missions for Transnational Repression
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This report reveals how the Turkish government has transformed its embassies and consulates into instruments of repression over the past decade. Once seen...
The Forgotten Victims: Children of Turkey’s Post-Coup Purge
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This report examines how children from families targeted in Turkey’s unprecedented post-coup purge have endured the devastating consequences of persecution, social exclusion and...
Human Rights in Turkey: 2024 in Review
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This report highlights the most important developments in the area of human rights in Turkey during the year 2024.
Throughout the year Turkey continued...
Dehumanizing a Legacy: How Fethullah Gülen’s Death Triggered a Campaign of Hate Speech in...
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This report examines the surge of hate speech following the death of Fethullah Gülen, a US-based cleric whose followers have been systematically persecuted...
Family Punishment in Turkey: How Erdoğan Uses the Nazi Practice of Sippenhaft
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This report focuses on how the Turkish government, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has used family punishment against his opponents.
Sippenhaft, also known as...
Human Rights in Turkey: 2023 in Review
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This report highlights the most important developments in the area of human rights in Turkey during the year 2023.
The May 2023 re-election of...
Hate speech and hate crimes against Syrian refugees in Turkey
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This report focuses on the inflammatory rhetoric and illegal acts motivated by prejudice faced by refugees who fled the civil war in Syria...