CPJ calls on Turkish gov’t to drop charges against journalist
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Turkish authorities on Wednesday to drop charges against journalist Sinan Aygül, who is accused of threatening the...
Over 5,000 cases of torture and abuse documented in Turkey in 2023: report
A total of 5,312 people in Turkey were subjected to either torture or ill-treatment in 2023, according to the Human Rights Association's (İHD) annual...
Woman detained while showing newborn baby to jailed husband
S.Ö., whose husband was jailed a few weeks before she gave birth to a baby, was detained in Sakarya on March 8 when she...
Turkey’s top court overturns aggravated life sentence in brutal femicide case
Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned the aggravated life sentence of a man who brutally murdered a young woman in 2020, sparking outrage...
Turkey’s top court sentences 3 former judges in controversial coup trial
Turkey’s Supreme Criminal Court has sentenced three former judges at the Supreme Court of Appeals to almost 13 months in prison each for “repeated...
PACE expresses concern about increase in torture allegations in Turkey
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday adopted a resolution on torture and ill-treatment in places of detention across Europe,...
Turkey plunges to 165th place among 180 countries in RSF’s press freedom index
Turkey has fallen dramatically in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2023 World Press Freedom Index, slipping 16 places and ranking 165th among 180 countries, not far...
Erdoğan closes major private university in İstanbul, leaving students, academics in limbo
Turkey has closed İstanbul Bilgi University, a major private university long known for its liberal academic environment and international programs, by presidential decree, leaving...
Phone seized in fraud investigation reveals bribery involving prosecutors
A mobile phone that was confiscated as part of a fraud investigation in central Turkey has revealed messages indicative of bribery involving the suspects...
Thousands march in İstanbul for Women’s Day despite ban
Thousands of women marched through İstanbul to mark International Women’s Day late Sunday, defying a ban on demonstrations, with the rally taking place without...
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...