11-17 August 2025
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 57 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.
Arbitrary Depriviation of Life
15 August: In Manisa, 70-year-old Hüseyin Parlak, sentenced to 7.5 years in prison over alleged Gülen movement links, died after suffering a brain hemorrhage amid extreme heat in Alaşehir Prison, prompting MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu to denounce his death as “like murder” and demand accountability.
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
11 August: Turkish police detained 11 activists in Ankara and İstanbul during pro-Palestine demonstrations, as public pressure grows on Ankara to cut ties with Israel amid mounting criticism of ongoing trade despite an official embargo.
13 August: An İstanbul appeals court ruled that the 2024 ban on May Day celebrations in Taksim Square was unlawful, affirming the site’s historic significance for labor unions.
Freedom of Expression and Media
12 August: Ankara’s Gölbaşı Criminal Court of Peace ordered access bans on four news reports concerning AKP Kırşehir MP Necmettin Erkan’s unaccredited diploma, citing national security and public order.
14 August: The İzmir office of the left-wing daily Evrensel was hit by gunfire early Tuesday, leaving seven bullet holes on its signboard, with the suspected attacker detained.
Freedom of Religion
18 August: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held its first dedicated hearing on Turkey since 2018, where witnesses detailed systemic violations of religious freedom affecting Christians, Alevis, atheists, and Gülen movement followers, urging stronger US action as concerns mount over worsening repression.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
12 August: Turkish authorities detained 30 people in raids on opposition-run municipalities in Antalya and İstanbul as part of widening corruption probes against the CHP, adding to more than 500 detentions since March, including jailed opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu.
15 August: Turkish police detained Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney and 43 others in raids on opposition-run institutions in İstanbul.
Kurdish Minority
11 August: An eight-member Kurdish family, including women and a three-month-old baby, was assaulted in Mersin’s Çamlıyayla district for speaking Kurdish, leaving one man in intensive care, while police detained the suspects.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
15 August: Turkey’s leading medical association has urged the release of TV manager Ayşe Barım, jailed over Gezi Park protest charges, warning that her severe health conditions pose a life-threatening risk if she remains imprisoned.
15 August: A 10-year-old boy in Hakkari suffered a broken wrist after allegedly being assaulted by a sergeant following a bicycle accident, with the soldier briefly detained and then released under judicial control.
18 August: A nine-months-pregnant Turkish teacher, Merve Zayım, gave birth in custody while held in pretrial detention on Gülen movement–related charges, despite legal provisions protecting pregnant women from imprisonment.
