US religious freedom commission condemns Turkish operations in N. Iraq
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has condemned the air and ground operations of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) near civilian areas...
Venice Commission to Turkish gov’t: Reinstate mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van
Legal experts from the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Venice Commission have called on the Turkish government to repeal decisions that have undermined democratic self-government...
Turkish lawyers launch ‘Defense March’ against gov’t meddling
Eighty heads of bar associations across Turkey launched a march to Ankara on Saturday against attempts by the Turkish government to amend the Law...
Father of NBA star Enes Kanter acquitted of terrorism charges in Turkey: report
The father of NBA center Enes Kanter, an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s human rights record, has been acquitted of charges...
Woman with 10-day-old baby arrested in southeastern city of Diyarbakır
Eylem Oyunlu, the mother of a 10-day-old baby and a 2-year-old toddler, has been arrested in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır on charges of...
Kurdish leader’s right to liberty violated, says Turkey’s Constitutional Court
Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the lengthy imprisonment of a former head of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) violated his rights, a...
Turkish Justice Ministry refuses to disclose number of torture, prisoner abuse claims
In response to a parliamentary question submitted by Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy and human rights defender Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Turkey’s Ministry of Justice...
Intruders break into house of Turkey’s Human Rights Association co-chair
Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) announced in a press statement that unknown intruders broke into the house of Eren Keskin, a human rights activist...
AI: Turkish gov’t using COVID-19 pandemic as excuse to further stifle freedom of expression
The Turkish authorities are using criminal law provisions to target people who discuss the COVID-19 pandemic online from a critical perspective, according to a...
Members of Congress ask Pompeo to urge Turkish gov’t to release political prisoners
Three Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have recently sent letters to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting that he urge the...
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...