Turkish navy’s elite special ops officer was brutally tortured by his former colleagues: report
Murat Fırat, a 41-year-old officer at the Turkish navy’s elite special forces unit, Underwater Offense (Su Altı Taarruz, or SAT), an equivalent of the...
At least 40 Turkish journalists appeared in court in March: opposition lawmaker
At least 40 journalists appeared before a judge and seven were detained in Turkey in March, according to a report released Thursday by an...
Turkey’s competition board fines Meta $37.2 mln in data-sharing probe: report
Turkey’s competition board fined Meta Platforms 1.2 billion lira ($37.20 million) on Wednesday after concluding two separate investigations on data-sharing in its Facebook, Instagram,...
Former AKP heavyweights distance themselves from Gezi Park trial
Former Justice and Development Party (AKP) politicians and current opposition party leaders Ahmet Davutoğlu and Ali Babacan have taken steps to distance themselves from...
Iranian activist facing deportation from Turkey fears torture and death penalty
Iranian citizen Maryam Shariatmadari, who went to Turkey on a tourist visa after receiving a prison sentence in Iran for protesting, was detained by...
Turkey puts 11 on trial for LGBT ‘obscenity’
Eleven leaders of a Turkish LGBT rights group went on trial Wednesday on charges of “obscenity” and “violating the protection of the family,” Agence...
US senator urges European rights court president to consider applications from Turkey
In a letter to President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) Robert Spano on Monday, US Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts asked...
207 minors convicted in Turkey in 2025 for insulting Erdoğan, government
Two hundred seven minors were convicted in Turkey in 2025 on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or the government under laws critics...
Lengthy prison terms handed down to Kurdish leaders draw global condemnation
An Ankara court’s verdict handing down lengthy prison sentences to dozens of Kurdish politicians, including imprisoned leaders Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, has drawn...
Turkish women’s rights activists criticize reduced sentences on grounds of ‘provocation’ in gender-based violence...
Turkish women's rights activists have criticized courts handing down reduced sentences to perpetrators of gender-based violence on the grounds that they were “provoked,” saying...
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...