5-11 January 2026
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 35 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.
7 January: Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the prison sentence of Leyla Arslan, who is currently pregnant and still held in Edirne Prison, ruling that the trial court failed to justify imposing a sentence above the statutory minimum.
11 January: Turkish authorities detained 77 people nationwide in the past two weeks, with 43 jailed pending trial, in operations targeting alleged links to the Gülen movement, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
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
8 January: At least 50 people were detained by police during an Istanbul protest organized by the Demokratik Kurumlar Platformu at Şişhane Square against attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo after authorities intervened citing “illegal slogans.”
Freedom of Expression and Media
7 January: Turkish prosecutors launched a criminal investigation under the disinformation law into shopkeeper Murat Kırçı over a social media video criticizing economic conditions and addressing Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.
8 January: Turkey blocked 26 X accounts linked to the left-wing People’s Houses Association on national security and public order grounds without official notification, the Freedom of Expression Association reported.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
8 January: A former Turkish official, Tayhan Şimşek, who reported alleged corruption at the state-run company TURAŞ under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was detained ahead of his trial on charges related to personal data, raising renewed concerns over whistleblower protection and accountability in Turkey.
9 January: A Turkish court acquitted İstanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and 10 executive board members of terrorism-related charges, ruling that a statement calling for an investigation into the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin did not meet the legal threshold for conviction.
Kurdish Minority
7 January: A court in southeastern Turkey sentenced Kurdish journalist Perihan Kaya to more than 18 months in prison on terrorism-related charges in a retrial, convicting her in absentia of membership in a terrorist organization, the press freedom watchdog Expression Interrupted reported.
9 January: Turkish authorities blocked access in Turkey to the X accounts of the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency and Jin News Agency on national security and public order grounds, the Freedom of Expression Association reported.
9 January: A forged report submitted by the Turkish Gendarmerie in the investigation into the killing of a Kurdish man, Seyithan Durdu, shot by gendarmes on December 28, 2024 in Van’s Saray district, has exposed multiple alleged irregularities in the case, including evidence tampering and pressure on the victim’s wife.
Prison Conditions
9 January: Turkish opposition lawmaker Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu said inmates at Erzurum Dumlu No. 2 Prison are subjected to systematic abuse including threats, denial of hot water and arbitrary disciplinary penalties.
Refugees and Migrants
6 January: Two Uyghur couples and a 1-month-old baby were placed in administrative detention at removal centers in Turkey and now face possible deportation to China after being detained in İstanbul, despite having long-term residence permits.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
6 January: Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine ruled that 72-year-old inmate Abdullah Tırpan can remain imprisoned despite serious health problems, prompting family concerns that the decision endangers his life.
Women’s Rights
8 January: Nearly nine in 10 women working in Turkey’s film and television industry report experiencing harassment, violence, discrimination or other serious workplace violations, according to a new survey-based report by the Cinema Workers’ Union (SİNE-SEN).