SCF, IOHR partner to celebrate World Press Freedom Day with a focus on Turkey
The Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) has partnered with the London-based International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR) to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in...
Ailing 83-year-old prisoner hospitalized after health deteriorates
Mehmet Emin Özkan, an 83-year-old inmate who was not released by authorities despite suffering from severe health problems, was hospitalized on Friday after his...
Over 2 million tweets say T A M A M (ENOUGH) to Turkish President...
Over 2 million people took to Twitter on Tuesday to call time on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, tweeting “T A M A M” (enough) hours...
Dismissed academic imprisoned over Gülen links dies of COVID 3 months before release
Halil Şimşek, a dismissed academic arrested over alleged links to the Gülen movement, died in prison on Wednesday of COVID-19, less than three months...
Erdoğan sues opposition politician who referred to him as ‘occupier’ of presidency
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a lawsuit against a main opposition party politician who once referred to Erdoğan as “occupying” the presidency,...
Turkish media misrepresents US remarks on Gülen movement
Turkey’s mainstream media, including CNN Türk, the Hürriyet daily and several pro-government media outlets, have misrepresented comments by the US State Department, implying that...
Former AKP lawmaker sued for damages for allegedly insulting Erdoğan
Hüseyin Kocabıyık, a former lawmaker from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), is facing a lawsuit seeking non-pecuniary damages over his alleged insults...
Opposition leader becomes first politician facing charges under Turkey’s controversial media law
A criminal complaint filed by the Security General Directorate (EGM) against Turkey’s main opposition leader after he blamed the government for widespread drug use...
Rights advocate submits parliamentary bill to repeal Turkey’s post-coup decree-laws
Opposition deputy and leading human rights defender Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has brought to the parliamentary agenda a bill to repeal the executive decree-laws issued...
Veteran actor investigated for calling Erdoğan a ‘thief’ in 2016 tweet
A 76-year-old Turkish actor is facing charges of insulting the president for referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a “thief” in a tweet...
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...