4 - 10 August 2025
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 23 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.
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.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
4 August: A third-year Trakya University student was expelled from a state-run dormitory for participating in the March 19 protests, with officials citing a regulation banning involvement in ideological or political demonstrations.
Freedom of Expression and Media
4 August: In July, at least five journalists were arrested, 84 faced ongoing trials, and 34 remained in prison in Turkey amid broader media restrictions and renewed government efforts to pass the controversial “agents of influence” bill.
6 August: Enes Hocaoğulları, Turkey’s youth delegate to the Council of Europe, was arrested in Ankara over a March speech in Strasbourg criticizing police violence and opposition mayor arrests, prompting widespread condemnation from opposition figures, rights groups, and Council of Europe officials.
6 August: News reports about AKP MP Necmettin Erkan removing a no-exam diploma from Balkan University from his biography and about alleged fake diploma claims involving MHP MP and Nişantaşı University owner Levent Uysal were blocked in Turkey under court and administrative orders citing national security, public order, and personal rights.
8 August: A Turkish court has ordered the blocking of jailed journalist Fatih Altaylı’s popular YouTube channel, citing national security and public order, weeks after his arrest over remarks deemed threatening to President Erdoğan.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
6 August: Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the eight-month pretrial detention of former Kurdish lawmaker Hüda Kaya over the 2014 Kobani protests violated her rights to liberty, security, and a fair trial, awarding her 200,000 lira in damages.
7 August: Turkish opposition parties have accused President Erdoğan’s government of covering up a massive digital forgery scandal in which a 35-member gang cloned officials’ e-signatures to fabricate state documents, including fake diplomas and licenses.
7 August: Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that dismissed civil servant Fikret Aslan was unlawfully discriminated against when denied a lump-sum retirement payment after his 2016 purge, ordering a retrial and legislative review in a rare victory for decree-fired public workers.
Prison Conditions
7 August: Reports revealed overcrowding and multiple rights violations at Erzincan Women’s Prison, including censorship and blocking of prisoners’ letters, restrictions on books, denial of common TVs, limited social activities, poor-quality food, locked cell doors at midnight, and forced handcuffed medical examinations.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
5 August: Seventy-three-year-old Alzheimer’s patient İbrahim Güngör, imprisoned in İzmir on charges linked to the Gülen movement despite serious health issues including diabetes, prostate problems, and past brain surgery, has been hospitalized since July 25 with an infection and is reportedly in poor condition.
6 August: Despite medical reports indicating serious health risks and possible lymphoma recurrence, imprisoned CHP mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık was returned to prison Wednesday, highlighting concerns over politically influenced decisions by Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine.
Transnational Repression
4 August: A US federal judge has rejected Turkey’s bid to obtain financial records of five alleged Gülen movement affiliates, ruling the request was politically motivated, overbroad, and unsupported by credible evidence, in what he described as part of Ankara’s broader transnational repression campaign.
5 August: A UK parliamentary report released July 30 named Turkey among the most prolific abusers of INTERPOL’s notice system, citing its extensive role in transnational repression through politically motivated Red Notices, misuse of travel document databases, illegal renditions, espionage, and global pressure campaigns targeting critics since 2016.
Women’s Rights
6 August: According to Bianet’s “Male Violence Tally,” at least 32 women and 5 children were killed by men in Turkey in July 2025, while 85 women suffered violence, 20 were harassed, 8 children were abused, and 73 women were forced into sex work.
