Police officer accused of torturing former air force commander gets promoted
Elif Uzun Sümercan, a previous deputy chief of the Ankara Police Department’s counterterrorism unit who was accused of torturing former commander of the Turkish...
Turkey’s judicial council rewards judges and prosecutors for their role in gov’t-led prosecutions
Turkey’s Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) on Friday named 11 judges and prosecutors, many of whom played critical roles in government-led prosecutions, as...
Jailed journalist says in letter inmates forced to live in cells invaded by rats:...
A Turkish journalist who has been in jail since March 2018 on terrorism charges has written in a letter from prison about the “inhumanly”...
Columnist’s hate campaign against inmate with cancer ends in his death
Radical Islamist Turkish daily Yeni Akit columnist Mehtap Yılmaz’s hate campaign targeting cancer patient Ümit Gökhasan and his release from prison delayed the medical...
European rights court slams convictions based on secret witness testimony
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that secret witness testimony, which Turkish courts have accepted as evidence, particularly in the trials...
Former police officer not released from prison until too late succumbs to cancer
Ümit Gökhasan, a former police superintendent who was not released from prison until his cancer had spread to other parts of his body, has...
Journalist Mehmet Baransu sentenced to 17 years for publishing leaked gov’t documents
An İstanbul court on Monday sentenced jailed investigative journalist Mehmet Baransu, a former correspondent for the now-defunct Taraf newspaper, to 17 years, one month...
Turkey’s academic community severely paralyzed due to government pressure: Scholars at Risk
Turkey’s academic community is severely paralyzed due to a government crackdown on scholars in the last four years, according to the New York-based Scholars...
Turkey, Kosovo violated fundamental rights of expelled teachers: UN working group
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has concluded that the arrest, detention and forced transfer to Turkey of six Turkish teachers...
Inmates subjected to torture in padded cells in Turkey’s Menemen Prison
Inmates held in Menemen Prison in the western Turkish province of İzmir have been subjected to torture in padded cells, according to the wife...
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...