Minority groups in Turkey continued to suffer from discrimination, hate speech and assaults in 2024.
Members of different minority groups, such as Kurds and Syrians, suffered from physical assaults, while suppression of various cultural expressions, such as using the Kurdish language, continued. Furthermore, the Alevi community expressed concern over the Turkish government’s overemphasis on religious education in the new curriculum. They argued that it was against the secular constitution and confined religious education to Sunni Islam, imposing it on the entire society.
Turkey’s Greek Orthodox community warned that the government’s policies were endangering the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox community in the country.
A wave of hate speech targeting African students in Turkey dominated social media, accusing them of engaging in sex work and spreading disease.
The summer months were marked by attacks on the properties of Syrian refugees in central Turkey. Following the claim that a Syrian man sexually assaulted a 7-year-old Syrian girl, a mob headed to a Syrian neighborhood, setting fire to buildings and throwing rocks at their workplaces. In addition to physical attacks, Syrians were the subject of hate speech on social media.
Human rights advocates have voiced concern that amid anti-migrant sentiment, Syrians have been forcibly deported. In late 2024 Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the Syrian population in Turkey had fallen from 3,737,369 to 2,935,742. Human rights organizations argue that the reduction is not solely due to voluntary returns or irregular migration to Europe, as the Turkish government claims, but also widespread forced deportations, which is a violation of international law.
Turkey has not being doing well in protecting the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBT) community. It was ranked 47th out of 49 countries, followed only by Azerbaijan and Russia, according to the 2024 edition of the Rainbow Index.
LGBT groups have been subjected to harassment during demonstrations and public celebrations, and their festivals were banned in major cities.
Here are some of the most important headlines concerning minority and refugee rights from 2024:
Turkeys’ policies threaten Greek Orthodox community, benefit Russia, church leaders warned
Two leaders of the Eastern Orthodox community warned at an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference that the Turkish government’s policies were endangering the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox community in the country while opening the door for Russia to expand its influence. More…
Religious directorate said Armenian writer should be prosecuted for remarks on Islamic call to prayer
The Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) filed a criminal complaint against Armenian writer and linguist Sevan Nişanyan for his remarks about the Islamic call to prayer (adhan). More…
Bar association executives faced new investigation over commemoration of Armenian genocide victims
Diyarbakır prosecutors launched an investigation into 11 executives of the Diyarbakır Bar Association on accusations of “denigrating the Turkish nation and state,” over a 2021 statement commemorating the victims of the Armenian genocide. More…
Ankara governor banned LGBT-themed festival
The Ankara Governor’s Office banned an LGBT event and notified organizers the day before its scheduled beginning. More…
Turkey again banned event to commemorate Armenian ‘genocide’ victims during WWI
The İstanbul Governor’s Office banned a ceremony in memory of the Armenians who were killed during a mass deportation in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, in a decision condemned as an “anti-democratic move” by the organizers. More…
Turkish court acquitted 2 human rights activists who recognized Armenian genocide
Two human rights activists from a leading rights organization in Turkey were acquitted of insult charges against the Turkish nation and government due to their remarks recognizing the mass killings of Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire as “genocide.” More…
LGBTQ groups subjected to harassment during Nevruz celebrations
LGBTQ groups were subject to physical harassment and insults during a celebration to the mark the spring festival of Nevruz in Istanbul’s Yenikapı Square. More…
Kurdish Alevi university student allegedly brutalized in apparent hate crime
A university student in İstanbul was allegedly brutalized by roommates due to his Kurdish and Alevi identity. The student, identified only by the initials F.B., was having difficulties with his two dorm mates and suffered injuries due to a violent incident, which led to hospitalization. More…
Alevi organizations expressed concern over new K-12 curriculum
Alevi organizations in Turkey voiced strong opposition to a new K-12 curriculum proposal announced on April 26, citing concerns over the government’s ideological influence and the misrepresentation of Alevism. More…
Turkey’s main opposition leader condemned ongoing discrimination of Alevis
Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a speech said the Alevi community was being subjected to ongoing discrimination. Speaking at the International Hacı Bektaş Veli Commemoration Ceremony and Cultural Arts Festival, Özel said members of the Alevi community were not treated as equal citizens, adding that they faced discrimination and social exclusion and their legitimate demands were ignored by the authorities. More…
Turkey ranked among most repressive in LGBT rights index
Turkey received one of the worst scores in Europe in the 2024 edition of the Rainbow Index released by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), scoring 4.75 out of 100. More…
Turkish parliament censored MPs speaking minority languages
Several MPs who attempted to mark UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day by giving speeches in minority languages in Turkey’s parliament were censored by the deputy speaker, who turned their microphones off. More…
Greece, Turkey introduced new rules for minority schools in controversial moves
Turkey’s Education Ministry introduced new restrictions affecting Greek minority schools in İstanbul, reciprocating a similar move by Greece for Muslim minority schools in Western Thrace, likely to again strain relations between the two neighbors. More…
Syrians in Turkey complained of intensified police checkpoints: ‘It’s like living in a prison’
A large number of unregistered Syrian refugees or those who live in provinces other than where they are officially registered were stranded inside their homes in Turkey due to the increased frequency of police operations and ID checks that put them at risk of detention and deportation. More…
Syrian refugee teen physically assaulted in southern Turkey
A 15-year-old Syrian refugee was brutally beaten by the family of a friend over a game dispute in the southern province of Gaziantep. More…
Syrian activist critical of Turkey’s treatment of refugees among arrestees charged with espionage
Ahmed Katie, a Syrian human rights activist who went missing in November after his criticism of Turkey’s worsening treatment of refugees, was among people arrested by Turkish authorities on charges of spying for French intelligence. More…
Syrians faced dire conditions in Turkish-occupied ‘safe zone’: HRW
Turkish authorities deported or otherwise pressured thousands of Syrians to leave the country for Tel Abyad, a remote Turkish-occupied district of northern Syria where humanitarian conditions are dire. More…
Video revealed torture of young Syrian Kurd who disappeared in Turkey
The family of Ali Veli, a 19-year-old Kurdish migrant from Syria who went missing after being released from a Turkish prison in March, received a video of him being physically mistreated by unidentified individuals. More…
Syrian businesses and homes attacked in central Turkey amid increasing anti-migrant sentiment
A group of locals attacked the houses, workplaces and cars of Syrian refugees in the central Turkish province of Kayseri in what appeared to be another wave of racist attacks amid the anti-migrant sentiment that has developed in the country in recent years. MoreMore…
Wave of online hate speech followed countrywide attacks on Syrians in Turkey
Turkish social media erupted with hate speech targeting Syrian refugees, following a series of attacks on the refugee community across the country. More…
Impunity, atmosphere of hate in Turkey perpetuate anti-Syrian violence: experts
A series of violent attacks on Syrian refugees in Turkey had experts and activists pointing to a pervasive social climate of hatred and impunity as the driving factors. Experts cited an orchestrated atmosphere of hostility, exacerbated by government neglect and socio-economic exploitation. More…
Teenage Syrian refugee killed in wave of racist attacks in Turkey
Ahmet Handan El Naif, a 17-year-old Syrian refugee worker, was killed in Antalya on Tuesday as racist attacks on Syrians spread across various Turkish provinces. More…
Major data breach amid racist attacks: IDs of Syrians in Turkey circulated online
A massive data breach compromised the personal information of over 3 million Syrian refugees residing in Turkey amid a wave of anti-Syrian violence in the country. More…
Parliamentary committee ignored case of 17-year-old Syrian mistreated and sentenced to aggravated life in Turkey
The Turkish parliament’s Committee for the Inspection of Human Rights failed to review the situation of Zaim Hişman Ali, a 17-year-old from Syria who was allegedly tortured in custody before being sentenced to aggravated life in prison. More…
Syrian refugee’s health was in peril due to bureaucratic barriers in Turkey
A Syrian refugee in Turkey was temporarily denied critical HIV treatment due to bureaucratic hurdles, sparking concerns about human rights violations and public health policy. More…
Millions of Syrians must be able to return to home safely, Turkish FM said
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said more than half of all Syrians live outside their country and that they “must be able to return to their homeland safely,” in an interview with the UAE-based Sky News Arabia. More…
Turkish border guards accused of killing Syrian civilian, injuring 2 others
Turkish border guards shot and killed a Syrian civilian and injured two others when they opened fire on a group approaching the border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. More…
Media freedom groups urged release of Syrian journalist detained by pro-Turkish factions
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the immediate release of Syrian journalist Bakr al-Kassem, who was detained by pro-Turkish factions. More…
Killing of 15-year-old Syrian by masked men in Turkey led to allegations of racism
A 15-year-old Syrian was shot dead by masked gunmen in İstanbul, leading to allegations of a racially motivated attack. The incident, which took place in the Gaziosmanpaşa district, has shaken the local refugee community. More…
5 arrested in connection to murder of 15-year-old Syrian in Istanbul
Turkish authorities arrested five suspects in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old Syrian. More…
Syrian worker murdered during prayer in alleged racially motivated attack in Turkey
A 42-year-old Syrian man was stabbed to death at an industrial site in Turkey in what appeared to be a racially motivated incident. The victim, identified as Hüseyin Azuz, sustained wounds to the head while praying at his workplace. Two of his coworkers were also seriously injured in the attack, which took place after threats from Turkish workers at the site. More…
Human rights groups voiced concern over forced deportations to reduce Turkey’s Syrian population
The number of Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey dropped below 3 million for the first time in nearly seven years, sparking concern among human rights organizations that forced deportations were driving the decrease. More…
