Arbitrary Detention and Arrest
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 45 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.
23 September: Former soldier Bora Arslanoğlu surfaced in Ankara police custody after being missing for eight days, prompting calls for an investigation into possible enforced disappearance or unlawful detention.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
22 September: Police detained 27 students at Ege University after they set up a campus stand to protest a university decision requiring prior rectorate approval for demonstrations, events and press statements.
Freedom of Expression and Media
22 September: A Turkish court jailed former Cihan News Agency reporter Osman Arslan pending trial over footage he filmed 15 years ago of an intelligence officer arriving at an İstanbul courthouse, as part of a reopened investigation into the officer’s 2011 death in prison.
23 September: Turkish authorities blocked access to 194 X accounts, including those of prominent economists and journalists, amid investigations into alleged market manipulation during turmoil in the country’s investment-fund market.
23 September: A Turkish court sentenced journalist Cihat Polat and opposition politician Mehmet Nazım Gençtürk over their investigation into unlicensed construction on property owned by relatives of an AKP lawmaker, despite an expert report confirming that an extension had been built without a permit.
24 September: Journalist couple Hatice and Muhsin Aksoy were detained on suspicion of inciting public hatred after reporting an AKP lawmaker’s remarks thanking Abdullah Öcalan and other political figures for their roles in Turkey’s renewed peace process.
24 September: Turkish authorities blocked the X account of prominent digital rights advocate and law professor Yaman Akdeniz on national security and public order grounds, amid a wider wave of restrictions targeting journalists, academics and other public figures online.
25 September: The Turkish government prepared legislation requiring social media users to link their accounts to national ID numbers, a move digital-rights advocates warn could deter anonymous criticism amid expanding restrictions on journalists, rights groups and government critics online.
26 September: Journalist Ali Tarakcı was jailed pending trial under Turkey’s disinformation law over a social media post predicting a cabinet minister’s resignation, while his X account was blocked nationwide.
Freedom of Religion
24 September: A Turkish court jailed 20 more people pending trial in an expanding investigation into the Süleymanlılar religious community over alleged money laundering and fraud, amid concerns from critics that financial probes are being used against religious groups at odds with the government.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
23 September: Turkey’s ruling AKP took control of İstanbul’s opposition-run Adalar municipality after three CHP-elected council members backed its candidate, amid opposition allegations that council members had faced threats and political pressure ahead of the vote.
26 September: A prosecutor sought up to 217 years in prison for jailed and suspended Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan on extortion, bribery and fraud charges, amid a broader crackdown on opposition-run municipalities that critics say is politically motivated.
27 September: Former family minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya resigned from her AKP leadership roles amid a widening investment-fund fraud probe, after the allegations that she sold shares for TL 1.34 billion shortly before the crisis; 51 people have been jailed pending trial in the investigation.
Kurdish Minority
25 September: Kurdish street musician Muhammet Daşdemir filed a criminal complaint after he and a fellow musician were subjected to racist insults while performing a Kurdish-language song in İstanbul, saying they regularly face similar harassment.
25 September: A Turkish court imposed a travel ban on Kurdish writer Suzan Samancı after she was detained upon returning from Switzerland over alleged PKK propaganda in past social media posts and later released under judicial supervision.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
25 September: A Turkish prison board denied release to İrfan Yılmaz, a prisoner with a 96 percent disability who requires assistance with basic daily activities, citing a disciplinary penalty despite a forensic medical report finding that he cannot remain in prison without assistance.
25 September: A Turkish prison imposed a six-month family visitation ban on left-wing youth activist Berkay Ustabaş, jailed pending trial in a crackdown ahead of the NATO summit, after he covered cameras monitoring his cell around the clock.
Women’s Rights
22 September: Turkey ranked 126th in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, reflecting persistent inequalities despite some progress in women’s economic participation and political representation.
Gender Rights
21 September: Eight press freedom and rights groups called for the immediate release of journalist Tuğba Tekerek, who was jailed pending trial after a 2024 article she wrote about LGBT issues in Georgia became part of an obscenity investigation targeting LGBT organizations and activists.
22 September: More than 450 civil society groups from 65 countries called on Turkey to end what they described as the criminalization of the LGBTI+ movement and release people detained solely for human rights work, following nationwide raids that resulted in 116 detentions and 82 pretrial jailings.
