8-14 September 2025
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 93 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
12 September: Boğaziçi University student Pelin Gümüşdağ testified that Rector Naci İnci revoked her and four others’ graduate admissions after their alleged involvement in protests over İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s March arrest.
Freedom of Expression and Media
9 September: Turkish journalist Tolga Şardan was placed under a travel ban after reporting that hackers breached the BTK’s e-signature database, a claim the regulator denied and pursued a criminal complaint over, highlighting both a major cybersecurity scandal and the risks faced by journalists in Turkey’s restrictive press climate.
10 September: Turkish authorities jailed three people and released others under supervision after detaining 14 over social media posts urging gatherings outside the CHP’s İstanbul headquarters, amid a court-ordered takeover of the opposition party’s provincial branch.
15 September: A new report by Expression Interrupted says 10 journalists were arrested, 103 stood trial and dozens more faced new prosecutions in Turkey in Q2 2025, leaving 33 still jailed as terrorism-related charges and RTÜK sanctions continued to dominate the country’s repressive media climate.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
9 September:The ECtHR has notified Turkey of 1,000 more applications over ByLock-based convictions, bringing the total to 6,000 cases under its pilot judgment procedure that found systematic rights violations in prosecutions of alleged Gülen movement members.
10 September: Turkish police detained 17 people in a pre-dawn raid on Antalya’s CHP-run municipality as part of a corruption probe that earlier saw Mayor Muhittin Böcek jailed, in what opposition leaders call a politically motivated crackdown on local governments.
13 September: İstanbul prosecutors ordered the detention of Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu and 46 others on corruption charges, with police raiding 72 sites as part of a broader crackdown on CHP-run municipalities that has already seen major opposition figures jailed.
Prison Conditions
12 September: The İstanbul Bar Association urged Turkey to close “pit-type” high-security prisons after a new report documented rights violations including near-constant solitary confinement, lack of exercise and privacy, and inadequate medical care, as inmates continue a hunger strike demanding transfers.
Refugees and Migrants
8 September: According to a statement from the Balıkesir Governor’s Office, a high-speed boat carrying 35 people collided with a Coast Guard vessel off the coast of Ayvalık’s Badavut district, leaving five dead, one woman seriously injured and one migrant missing.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
10 September: Turkish authorities barred jailed student Sueda Güngör from attending the funeral of her father, 72-year-old Alzheimer’s patient and former university administrator İbrahim Güngör, who died in prison on September 7 after repeated pleas for his release on health grounds were ignored.
14 September: Relatives and friends are calling for the release of 49-year-old breast cancer patient Ayşe Solak, who is serving a six-year, eight-month sentence in Aydın Prison over alleged Gülen links despite ongoing chemotherapy, with rights groups warning her health is at serious risk.
