Turkish police detain Kurdish singer for using ‘Kurdistan’ in song lyrics
The singer of Kurdish rock group Koma Rosîda, known commonly as Jiyan, has been detained by Turkish police for using the word “Kurdistan” during...
Human rights watchdogs call for the immediate release of Osman Kavala
Three human rights organizations urged the immediate release of Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman and rights defender, in a third-party intervention with the European...
Number of people on Turkey’s extradition list from Sweden has risen to 42: Swedish...
Turkish authorities have expanded the list of people, the majority of them political dissidents, whose extradition is demanded from Sweden, increasing the number from...
48 trustees appointed to pro-Kurdish municipalities since 2019: HDP report
The Turkish government has removed from office 48 co-mayors from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a left-wing party with majority Kurdish support, and replaced...
COMMENTARY — Erdoğan survives but faces more serious challenges in Turkey
By Abdullah Bozkurt
After winning the controversial election on Sunday in Turkey after a not free and certainly not fair election campaign, Turkish President Recep...
Turkey considers switch to electronic voting system amid concerns over election security
Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) President Ahmet Yener has reportedly announced that preparations for adopting an electronic voting system are complete, while concerns mount...
Ankara bar publishes 5 censored reports on torture, ill-treatment of alleged Gülenists
The Ankara Bar Association has published five reports by its human rights committee on allegations of torture made by detainees held at a police...
Wife of ailing retired imam imprisoned on Gülen links pleads with authorities for his...
The wife of Ahmet Kaptan, 65, a retired imam imprisoned on alleged links to Gülen movement who has been struggling with gastrointestinal problems and...
Turkish officials remove Arabic signs in İstanbul district densely populated by Syrian refugees
Officials from the Esenyurt Municipality in İstanbul on Friday removed signs in Arabic from district shops, in a neighborhood densely populated by Syrian refugees,...
Journalist briefly detained in Ankara due to conviction over Kavala indictment criticism
Journalist Gökhan Özbek was briefly detained in Ankara on Thursday due to a prison sentence he was handed down for criticizing an indictment against...
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...