24-30 August 2026
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 5 people over alleged links to the Gülen movement. In October 2020, a UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) opinion said that widespread or systematic imprisonment of individuals with alleged links to the group may amount to crimes against humanity. Solidarity with OTHERS has compiled a detailed database to monitor the Gülen-linked mass detentions since a failed coup in July 2016.
28 August: An İstanbul court jailed general surgery resident Barış Kaya pending trial on terrorism accusations, while he alleged that police beat and otherwise ill-treated him in custody.
28 August: Turkish police detained Esma Batmaz and Hilal Köseoğlu after prosecutors cited assistance they received to study in Germany as part of a terrorism investigation tied to their imprisoned fathers’ alleged Gülen links.
Enforced Disappearances
No news has emerged of Yusuf Bilge Tunç, a former public sector worker who was sacked from his job by a decree-law during the 2016-2018 state of emergency and who was reported missing as of August 6, 2019, in what appears to be one of the latest cases in a string of suspected enforced disappearance of government critics since 2016.
26 August: Opposition lawmaker Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu documented 73 alleged abductions and disappearances since 2015, including unresolved cases and accounts of secret detention and torture.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
27 August: An Ankara court arrested union leaders Gökay Çakır and Başaran Aksu over social media posts while miners were protesting unpaid wages.
Freedom of Expression and Media
24 August: Turkish authorities blocked an investigative report, podcast and social media posts about former health minister Fahrettin Koca and Medipol on national security and public order grounds after a court rejected a request to restrict the same content.
25 August: Turkish prosecutors questioned İzmir Journalists Association president Dilek Gappi over a statement denouncing political pressure on media workers.
26 August: Turkish prosecutors sought up to six years in prison for retired rear admiral Türker Ertürk over remarks he made before the 2023 elections about a change of government.
27 August: Turkish authorities detained four Aydın Denge journalists under the disinformation law over an “Erdoğan died” post that referred to a local woman sharing the president’s surname, then released them under judicial supervision.
29 August: An İstanbul court ordered the seizure of all printed and in-production copies of jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s book “Millet Şahidimdir” and banned its distribution and sale.
Freedom of Religion
29 August: Turkish courts jailed 81 people pending trial in a financial crimes investigation involving the Süleymanlılar religious community and summoned former interior minister İdris Naim Şahin for questioning.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
22 December: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
24 August: Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund revealed details of five properties confiscated from exiled journalist Can Dündar and managed under a court-ordered trusteeship.
25 August: Human Rights Watch urged Turkey to amend a new law allowing adult sentences for children, warning that it violates international child-rights standards and could harm public safety.
26 August: Rights defenders, politicians and legal scholars called for Osman Kavala’s release after the ECtHR found that Turkey had convicted and imprisoned him to punish and silence him.
26 August: Presidential adviser Mehmet Uçum suggested that Turkey could reconsider its participation in the European human rights system after the ECtHR ordered Osman Kavala’s immediate release.
28 August: The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey violated the liberty rights of eight people by holding them in lengthy pretrial detention without sufficient justification.
Kurdish Minority
22 December: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
24 August: More than 70 Kurdish seasonal farmworkers and relatives were targeted in Zonguldak and another group was threatened in Düzce, prompting calls for investigations into possible ethnic motives.
25 August: Turkish prosecutors ordered the detention of five Kocaelispor supporters over a racist display invoking body bags and targeting fans of Kurdish club Amedspor.
Other Minorities
28 August: Former Erdoğan press adviser Kemal Öztürk sparked condemnation after remarks about Syrian Arab Alawites were denounced as hate speech that dehumanized the minority and risked legitimizing violence.
Refugees and Migrants
27 Ağustos: Separate attacks in Adana and Gaziantep killed Syrian teenager Ali Shihab and worker Bedir Koca, reviving concerns among refugees and rights advocates.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
26 August: Kurdish prisoner Mehmet Sait Yıldırım, 75, suffered a heart attack after prison authorities delayed his conditional release for a third time despite his serious health problems.
