Lawyer Ali Aydın, a former co-chair of the Human Rights Association’s (İHD) İzmir branch, was killed by a blow to the head with a rock while walking in a mountainous area in Çiğli, İzmir province, Turkish media reported.
Police said a suspect identified only by the initials M.D.E. has been detained in connection with the killing, adding that the suspect said he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack. The Karşıyaka Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has imposed a confidentiality order on the investigation.
Aydın, 68, served as co-chair of the İHD’s İzmir branch from 2016 to 2018 and from 2023 to 2025. He was also a member of the association’s Central Executive Board (MYK) from 2020 to 2023. At the time of his death, he was active in rights advocacy as an İHD official and a board member of the Equal Rights Monitoring Association (EHİD).
İHD officials said the killing did not appear to have been motivated by theft and pointed to unresolved questions surrounding the incident, calling for a thorough and transparent investigation.
The İzmir branch of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) condemned the killing in a written statement, saying it reflected a system in which the law has been suspended, human life devalued and public security deliberately eroded. It accused the government of failing to fulfill its most fundamental obligation: the protection of the right to life.
