18-24 May 2026
Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 27 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
19 May: Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that authorities violated teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu’s right to life and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment after he died in police custody in 2016, finding that the state failed both to protect him and to effectively investigate allegations of abuse.
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
20 May: A Turkish court handed suspended sentences to three Boğaziçi University students for water-based protest graffiti after İmamoğlu’s detention, despite the affected institutions saying they suffered no damage and did not wish to file complaints.
25 May: Turkish riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse an İzmir rally called by ousted CHP leader Özgür Özel after a court ruling removed him from the party leadership.
Freedom of Expression and Media
20 May: Turkish journalist Şule Aydın was questioned as a suspect in an espionage-related investigation based on an evidence-free email complaint accusing her of foreign intelligence links and criminalizing her critical journalism and satirical political commentary.
18 May: Turkish journalist Yelis Ayaz was jailed under Turkey’s disinformation law after reporting allegations that an AKP lawmaker’s son brought a weapon to school, in another case raising press freedom concerns over the prosecution of journalists for disputed information.
19 May: A Turkish court ordered the rearrest of local journalist Mehmet Yetim one day after his release from pretrial detention, following a prosecutor’s appeal in a case brought under Turkey’s disinformation law over a corrected social media post about a school knife attack.
21 May: Turkish prosecutors are investigating two BirGün editors for allegedly insulting President Erdoğan over an article that directly quoted a student group criticizing pressure on university students.
26 May: Turkish authorities blocked access to 93 social media accounts and launched investigations over alleged “provocative” posts after a controversial court ruling removed the CHP leadership.
Human Rights Defenders
25 May: UN special rapporteurs expressed concern that the prosecution of trans rights defender Defne Güzel over May 17 Association materials appeared linked to her LGBTI+ advocacy.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
18 May: A businessman tried alongside İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said in court that his earlier testimony under Turkey’s effective remorse provisions was false and prosecutor-directed, raising further concerns over the credibility of evidence in the politically charged İstanbul Municipality case.
21 May: A Turkish appeals court annulled the CHP’s 2023 congress, temporarily removing Özgür Özel and the current party administration while reinstating former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in a major judicial intervention that deepened concerns over pressure on Turkey’s main opposition party.
25 May: Nine CHP members were arrested in an investigation into alleged irregularities at the party’s 2023 congress, deepening the legal and political crisis triggered by a court ruling that annulled the congress.
Kurdish Minority
22 May: Turkish authorities have rearrested two Kurdish minors and are seeking a third over alleged terrorism propaganda during Newroz celebrations in İstanbul, in cases of the continued criminalization of nonviolent Kurdish symbols, songs and expression.
Refugees and Migrants
21 May: Iranian asylum seeker Seyedmahdi Mahdian was found dead in Eskişehir 10 months after suffering severe brain injuries in an allegedly unrecorded workplace accident, following reported failures to access medical care, home support or compensation due to his informal employment, lack of insurance and unresolved protection status.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
18 May: A Turkish hospital reported that 73-year-old Abdullah Tırpan, convicted over alleged Gülen movement links and unable to speak since February, can remain in prison despite multiple serious health problems, following a similar finding by Turkey’s forensic medicine authority.
22 May: Turkish authorities are blocking the release of critically ill inmate Mehmet Parlak, convicted over alleged Gülen movement links, through disputed prison evaluations and contradictory reports despite his severe kidney condition and eligibility for supervised release, opposition lawmaker Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu said.
