Human rights advocates and academics have called on the Turkish government to stop the misuse of anti-terror laws and the arbitrary detention of minors and students.
In an open letter to Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç that was published by the Bold Medya news website, the signatories argued that anti-terror laws were being weaponized to criminalize social and educational activities and that Turkey’s broad definition of terrorism has resulted in the wrongful prosecution of individuals engaging in peaceful civil actions.
They urged the government to respect its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and cease the arbitrary detention of citizens based on vague and overreaching anti-terror laws. Signatories include academics from the Belgian University of Leuven and Lincoln University in New Zealand. Furthermore, EU Reporter editor-in-chief Colin Stevens, former EU Parliament member Prof. Dr. Dietmar Köster, human rights activist Simone Susskind and representatives from international legal and human rights organizations have signed the letter.
The letter cited a May 7 police operation in İstanbul, where authorities raided the homes of 38 people allegedly linked to the Gülen movement, detaining 14 high school students and their mothers. The detainees were held at the Juvenile and Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime departments.
The Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, is accused by the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of masterminding a failed coup and is labeled a “terrorist organization,” although the movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
The high school students also received support from prominent people on social media.
“The trial, beginning on Sept 23, involves charges of ‘membership in a terrorist organization’ against girls for allegedly ‘studying together, ordering food from Yemek Sepeti, going to the movies,” Rebecca Harms, a former EU MP and human rights defender, said on X.
“I am attending the ‘terrorism’ trial of children taken from their homes at 5 a.m. at the Çağlayan Courthouse!” Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a prominent human rights defender and an opposition MP in Turkey, posted on the same platform.
Gergerlioğlu, also said that between 2015 and 2024, nearly 20,000 children were investigated for terrorism.
According to the students and their lawyers, the girls were held for four days without access to legal counsel, subjected to psychological pressure and denied food and water for extended periods. The letter emphasized that these actions contravene international human rights standards, including those outlined by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The letter was published ahead of the students’ first hearing, which will be held on September 23 at the İstanbul 24th High Criminal Court. The trial involves 41 defendants in total and is expected to last five days. The case, dubbed the “High School Girls Case,” has drawn attention to the increasing criminalization of social and educational activities under the guise of anti-terror measures.
