Imam punished for contradicting Erdoğan’s accusations against Gezi protestors is suffering from kidney failure
Fuat Yıldırım, the former deputy imam (müezzin) of İstanbul's historic Bezmiâlem Valide Sultan Mosque during the 2013 Gezi protests who was appointed to a...
Kavala complains about lack of indictment after 15 months in pretrial detention
Turkish human rights activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala underlined in a letter sent from prison that he has spent 15 months in pretrial detention...
822 children under the age of 6 live in Turkey’s overcrowded prisons: report
A recent report by the Civil Society in the Penal System (CISST) has revealed a growing number of children living behind bars with their...
‘Political prisoners are treated as hostages,’ imprisoned writer says
Imprisoned writer, activist and journalist Celalettin Can has sent an open letter addressed to members of parliament in which he detailed the mistreatment of...
[UPDATE] Greek police rescue 17 Turkish migrants in danger of freezing to death
The Greek police rescued 17 Turkish asylum seekers, including five children and four women, who crossed the Evros River from Turkey to Greece and...
Journalist Salih Turan arrested on terrorism charges
Turkish journalist Salih Turan was arrested by a court on Wednesday on charges of alleged membership in a terrorist group, the Artı Gerçek news website...
HRW urges Turkey to scrap proposed laws criminalizing LGBT identities
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday called on Turkey’s government to immediately withdraw a draft law that would criminalize LGBT identities and gender-affirming care, warning...
Syriac MP in Turkish parliament faces criticism for sending Christmas wishes in native language
George Aslan, a Syriac deputy from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), has faced hostile remarks from the far right for using his...
415 people tortured, 17 abducted in Turkey in 2021: report
Four hundred fifteen people were tortured in prisons and detention centers in Turkey and 17 were abducted in the first 11 months of 2021,...
Turkey removes limitations on more than 50,000 passports
The Ministry of Interior Affairs has lifted restrictions on the passports of 51,171 people, Turkish media reported on Friday, despite claims that previous similar...
Latest Reports
Human Rights in Turkey: 2025 in Review
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
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...
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
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
Download PDF
This report focuses on the inflammatory rhetoric and illegal acts motivated by prejudice faced by refugees who fled the civil war in Syria...