HRW: Turkish police, watchmen involved in torture, ill-treatment
There is credible evidence that Turkish police and community “night watchmen” have committed serious abuses against at least 14 people in six incidents in...
Former Supreme Court of Appeals judge tortured and mistreated in prison
Nalan Dilara Uğur, daughter of former Supreme Court of Appeals judge Hüsamettin Uğur, has claimed in a series of tweets that her father was...
I was tortured at Turkish border post, migrant worker claims
Khales Arsan, a migrant laborer from Afghanistan who had crossed into Turkey from the Iranian city of Maku and who had not been heard...
Police attack crowds gathered to commemorate victims of 2015 ISIS attack
Turkish police attacked protestors gathered in İstanbul, Ankara and the southeastern city of Urfa on Monday to commemorate 33 victims of an ISIS suicide...
Prosecutor says police chief accused of torture embezzled detainees’ money and valuables
According to a court document dated July 1, 2020, a public prosecutor in the western city of Afyonkarahisar said the former head of the...
Pro-Kurdish party announces human rights toll during coronavirus outbreak
According to a report drafted by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), 15 civilians, six of whom were under the age of 18 died,...
I heard screams of women being raped at a Turkish detention center, says torture...
Erhan Doğan, who was tortured at a gymnasium-turned detention center in Turkey, recounted for the first time the torture he underwent and witnessed to...
Lieutenant tortured in stable: We were called to night training; we opened our eyes...
A lieutenant in the Turkish military taken to a horse stable after a coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016 recounted the torture...
Turkey’s 2016-2018 state of emergency a ‘social genocide program’
A two-year-long state of emergency declared after an abortive coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016 caused immense suffering among civil servants who were...
Kurdish mayor tortured under police custody arrested by court
A Turkish court has ruled to arrest the ousted co-mayor of Van’s Edremit Municipality, Rojbin Çetin, who was attacked by police dogs and tortured...
Latest Reports
Turkey’s Crackdown on the Main Opposition and the Kurdish Political Movement: 2025 in Review
Turkey's political opposition faced intensifying pressure in 2025, with the judiciary emerging as the primary instrument for targeting dissenting voices. The most far-reaching measures...
Torture, Ill-treatment and Prison Conditions in Turkey: 2025 in Review
Turkey's record on torture and ill-treatment continued to deteriorate in 2025, despite its commitments under international human rights conventions.
Throughout the year human rights organizations...
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...