More than 1.6 million people in Turkey have been investigated for terrorism since a coup attempt in 2016, according to a new human rights report that accuses the government of turning emergency powers into a permanent tool of political repression.
The report, released by the Netherlands-based Stichting Justice Square, covers developments from 2016 through 2024 and claims that the Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has used the failed coup as a pretext to eliminate political opposition and suppress civil society, particularly members of the Gülen movement. The report argues that these actions, including arbitrary detentions, torture, mass dismissals and enforced disappearances, amount to crimes against humanity under international law.
Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations revealed in 2013 implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan as well as some of his family members and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following the abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
According to the report, more than 120,000 people were convicted of terrorism-related charges during the eight-year period. Thousands remain behind bars, including judges, civil servants, teachers, military officers and journalists. Emergency decrees allowed for widespread purges from public service and the closure of hundreds of institutions and media outlets, while the government seized private assets worth more than $30 billion.
The report details dozens of personal cases to underscore the allegations. One of the most prominent involves Gökhan Açıkkollu, a teacher who died in police custody in 2016 after being subjected to repeated beatings. Despite autopsy findings indicating physical abuse, no prosecutions were pursued.
Another example is Mustafa Özgür Gültekin, who was abducted in Ankara in December 2016. His case, among others, is cited as evidence of a broader pattern of enforced disappearances. The report states that many victims were held in secret facilities and subjected to torture before being forced into confessions.
The report also includes the case of Ayşe Özdoğan, a cancer-stricken mother imprisoned despite her deteriorating health. Rights advocates condemned her continued detention as inhumane, calling it emblematic of broader abuses against vulnerable populations.
The Turkish intelligence service is also accused of conducting extrajudicial renditions abroad. Victims were abducted in countries including Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Kosovo and Kenya, then returned to Turkey without legal proceedings. These operations often targeted individuals with alleged ties to the Gülen movement.
Incarceration conditions have also drawn scrutiny. The report describes severe overcrowding, with up to 45 inmates in cells designed for 15. Political prisoners, especially those linked to the movement, reportedly face discriminatory treatment, including denial of medical care and prolonged solitary confinement.
“The judiciary has ceased to be a provider of justice; it has turned into a regime judiciary,” the report states, alleging that thousands of judges and prosecutors were purged and replaced by government loyalists. This restructuring, it argues, has rendered the courts ineffective at upholding the rule of law or checking executive power.
State-backed hate speech and discrimination have permeated society, the report adds. Public officials, media and religious authorities routinely label perceived opponents with terms such as “traitor” or “terrorist,” further isolating individuals and families socially and economically.
The European Court of Human Rights has issued several rulings against Turkey, including the landmark Yalçınkaya v. Türkiye decision in 2023. The court ruled that the conviction of a teacher, based on his use of the ByLock messaging app, affiliation with a union and account at Bank Asya, violated his rights to a fair trial, freedom of association and protection from retroactive criminal charges. The judgment has broad implications as it could affect thousands of similar cases in Turkey.
The report concludes that Turkey has shifted from a flawed democracy to a “regime state” governed by unchecked executive authority and sustained through systematic repression.
