‘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...
Prison parole boards are acting like ‘parallel courthouses,’ journalist says
Ferhat Çiftçi, a Kurdish journalist who was recently released from prison, said prison monitoring boards in Turkey act like “parallel courthouses” when deciding on...
Editor of Kurdish news agency acquitted of terrorism charges
A Turkish court has acquitted journalist Sedat Yılmaz, editor of the Mezopotamya news agency, of terrorism charges related to his alleged links to the...
Documentary filmmaker facing terrorism charges released on probation
A Turkish court has released from custody a documentary filmmaker who is facing terrorism charges due to a 2015 documentary on Kurdish militants after...
Journalist receives threats after interviewing teen who allegedly defaced Kurdish traffic signs
Kurdish journalist Ruşen Takva has received numerous threats on social media since he published an interview with a 16-year-old who claims to have defaced...
X blocks access to more than 100 journalist, activist accounts in Turkey
Social media platform X has blocked access to over 100 accounts belonging to Turkish journalists, activists and media organizations run by journalists living in...
Turkey sentenced 58 journalists to prison, arrested 26 in 2024: report
Turkish authorities sentenced 58 journalists to a total of 135 years in prison, detained 112 and arrested 26 in 2024, according to a report...
Journalists from opposition daily acquitted of Gülen-linked charges in retrial
A Turkish court has ruled for the acquittal of staff from the pro-opposition Sözcü newspaper who were retried for allegedly aiding the faith-based Gülen...
Turkish journalist gets suspended sentence for remarks at book fair
A Turkish court has handed down a three-month suspended sentence to investigative journalist Bahadır Özgür for allegedly insulting the government during a 2022 book...
Turkish court jails 4 LeMan staff members over cartoon allegedly insulting religious values
Four staff members of the Turkish satirical magazine LeMan were jailed pending trial on Wednesday on charges of “publicly insulting religious values” after being...
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...