4,936 case opened, 1,080 people convicted over ‘insulting Erdoğan’ in 2016 in Turkey
According to Turkey's Justice Ministry statistics, a total of 4,936 cases were opened in 2016 against people accused of “insulting” Turkey's autocratic President Recep...
Facebook bans pro-Kurdish rights Mezopotamya news agency’s account
Facebook has banned the verified account of the pro-Kurdish rights Mezopotamya news agency (MA), which had 100,000 followers, the Bianet news web site reported...
Banksy mural in NY protests Turkish gov’t’s imprisonment of Kurdish artist/journalist Zehra Doğan
The latest work by anonymous British artist Bansky, a 70-foot-long (21 meters) call for the government in Ankara to release Kurdish journalist and artist Zehra...
Press freedom groups condemn Turkey’s revocation of independent radio station’s license, call for reinstatement
Sixty-four press freedom and civil society organizations have condemned Turkey’s decision to revoke the terrestrial broadcasting license of independent radio station Açık Radyo, according...
Turkish court acquits Halk TV journalists of one charge, orders editor-in-chief’s release
A Turkish court on Tuesday acquitted five journalists from the opposition-aligned Halk TV, including Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş, who was released after spending 34 days...
Turkey’s ‘disinformation’ bill could irreparably harm free speech prior to 2023 elections: PACE
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)’s Monitoring Committee has expressed concern over a Turkish government-backed bill that criminalizes the dissemination of...
Jailed Turkish columnist Mehmet Altan’s lawyers launch petition campaign
Lawyers representing Mehmet Altan, a prominent Turkish academic and journalist who has been held in a Turkish jail for more than 22 months over...
Turkish presidential candidate: TV staff fired for 10 second coverage of opposition rally
Turkish opposition İYİ Party leader and presidential candidate Meral Akşener on Monday said that staff members at a TV station who aired 10 seconds...
‘At least 721 journalists arrested in Turkey in 17 years’
At least 721 journalists were arrested in Turkey between 2002 and 2019, 93 of whom are still in prison, a report released on Thursday...
Trust in news in Turkey plunges to lowest level in a decade, Oxford study...
Trust in news in Turkey has plunged to its lowest level since 2015, while a pro-government outlet has become the least trusted media organization...
Latest Reports
Turkey’s Transnational Repression: 2025 in Review
Turkey's campaign of transnational repression against critics abroad continued throughout 2025. Since a coup attempt in July 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long arm...
Turkey’s Crackdown on the Gülen Movement: 2025 in Review
During the year Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued to relentlessly pursue anyone with alleged links with the faith-based Gülen movement, which he described...
Women’s rights in Turkey: 2025 in Review
The state of women’s rights in Turkey showed no meaningful improvement in 2025, as longstanding problems persisted and new challenges emerged. Femicides, institutional failures...
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...