Legal Repressions and Digital Censorship [updated]
Download PDF This report documents the systematic erosion of press freedom in Turkey through legal, administrative, and digital means. Drawing on cases from 2023–2025, it details how broad laws on “personal rights,” “terrorism,” and “disinformation” have been used to prosecute journalists, block content, and suppress independent media. It highlights RTÜK’s sanctions against broadcasters, mass social […]
Critically Ill Prisoners in Turkish Prisons – Eda Saraç
Profile VICTIM : Eda SaraçINCIDENT : The prisoner is being denied access to healthcare.LOCATION : İstanbul, TurkeySITUATION : Arrested on charges of “insulting the President.” Case Summary Eda Saraç, currently held in Bakırköy Women’s Prison, was arrested on October 27, 2025, following a court decision on charges of “insulting the President.” An academic by profession, […]
Critically Ill Prisoners in Turkish Prisons – Mehmet Tahir Avcı
Profile VICTIM : Mehmet Tahir AvcıINCIDENT : The prisoner, who suffers from severe health problems, is being held in a single-person cell.LOCATION : Ankara, TurkeySITUATION : The details of the case file remain unknown. Case Summary Mehmet Tahir Avcı, who is held in Sincan Prison, is being kept in solitary confinement despite suffering from multiple […]
Critically Ill Prisoners in Turkish Prisons – Adnan Öztel
Profile VICTIM : Adnan ÖztelINCIDENT : The health condition of the prisoner, who has been incarcerated for 20 years, is deteriorating day by day.LOCATION : Tekirdağ, TurkeySITUATION : Sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2006. Case Summary Adnan Öztel, who has been held in Tekirdağ Prison for 20 years, suffers from multiple chronic illnesses. Reports […]
Violations of Probation and Conditional Release Rights – Aydın Adıyaman, Ali Murat Çelik
Profile VICTIM : Aydın Adıyaman, Ali Murat ÇelikINCIDENT : Prisoners who have been incarcerated for 32 years have not been released for the past two years, despite having completed their sentences.LOCATION : Bolu, TurkeySITUATION : The details of the case file remain unknown. Case Summary The release of Aydın Adıyaman and Ali Murat Çelik, who […]
Issue 279
Download PDF 20-26 October 2025 Arbitrary Detention and Arrest Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 8 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 […]
Violations of Probation and Conditional Release Rights – Sermin Demirdağ
Profile VICTIM : Sermin DemirdağINCIDENT : The release of a prisoner incarcerated since 1993 has been blocked for the 7th time.LOCATION : Ankara, TurkeySITUATION : The details of the case file remain unknown. Case Summary Sermin Demirdağ, currently held in Sincan Women’s Closed Prison, was arrested in 1993 and has been transferred between various prisons […]
Violations of Probation and Conditional Release Rights – Cemil İvrendi
Profile VICTIM : Cemil İvrendiINCIDENT : The seriously ill prisoner, who has been incarcerated for 31 years, was not released despite having completed his sentence, on the grounds that he “has not severed ties with the organization.”LOCATION : Kırşehir, TurkeySITUATION : He was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “undermining the unity and integrity […]
Disabled Prisoners in Turkish Prisons, Violations of Probation and Conditional Release Rights – Mehmet Sayılğan
Profile VICTIM : Mehmet SayılğanINCIDENT : The conditional release of an inmate with 80 percent visual impairment was postponed for the sixth time.LOCATION : Tokat, TurkeySITUATION : Arrested on July 14, 2016, on charges of “membership in an organization.” Case Summary The release request of Mehmet Sayılğan, an inmate with 80 percent visual impairment held […]
Pregnant Women in Prison – Nazife Karakoç
Profile VICTIM : Nazife KarakoçINCIDENT : A seven-month-pregnant woman was imprisoned despite having a high-risk pregnancy.LOCATION : Edirne, TurkeySITUATION : Sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison on alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement. Case Summary Nazife Karakoç was arrested in Edirne together with her husband while she was approximately seven months pregnant. […]