European rights court faults Turkey for pretrial detention of journalist following coup
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has faulted Turkey over the pretrial detention of Ayşenur Parıldak, a reporter for the now-closed Zaman daily,...
Prosecutor declines to pursue killing of 13-year-old Kurdish girl, claiming she was a terrorist
A prosecutor has made a decision of no prosecution in the case of 13-year-old Fatma Elarslan, who was killed during a curfew in the...
Turkish officer dies by suicide after suspension over alleged Gülen links
Gökhan Ünyeli, an officer in the Turkish military who had been under investigation for alleged links to the Gülen movement and was recently suspended...
Post-coup purge in Turkey leaves children parentless after mother and father are put behind...
Turkey’s post-coup purge is continuing to hit children, leaving them parentless in myriad cases, shattering their families, disrupting their education and upending their emotional...
Police fired plastic bullets during post-election protests in Kurdish city: report
The Van Bar Association, the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Association for the Freedom of Lawyers (ÖHD) have prepared a joint report on...
Serious backsliding in democracy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms continues in Turkey: EU
Serious backsliding in the respect for democratic standards, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms continued in the absence of an effective checks and...
552 kids mark Children’s Day in Turkish prisons with their mothers
Turkey is celebrating National Sovereignty and Children’s Day with a total of 552 children under the age of six accompanying their mothers in prisons,...
Press freedom and human rights in Turkey must not be held hostage to geopolitical...
Human rights issues, including press freedom, in Turkey must not be held hostage to geopolitical developments, and the international community must step up its...
Former police chief not released from prison until too late succumbs to cancer
Tevfik Birecik, a 49-year-old former police chief who was not released from prison until his colon cancer had spread to other parts of his...
Vague terrorism charge used to target supporters of the Gülen movement: UN special rapporteurs
The vague and imprecise charge of “membership in an armed terrorist organization” appears to be repeatedly misused to target critics of the Turkish government’s...
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...