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.
20 October: Turkish police detained 31 people across four provinces over alleged Gülen movement links, citing financial transactions, public-payphone records and social-media activity.
Arbitrary Deprivation of Life
26 October: Abdullah Tırpan, a 73-year-old prisoner held over alleged Gülen movement links, died at an Istanbul hospital after undergoing a leg amputation and intensive-care treatment. Despite longstanding serious health problems, medical assessments had repeatedly found him fit to remain in prison, prompting objections from his family and lawmakers.
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 disappearances of government critics since 2016.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
22 October: Türkiye’s Constitutional Court ruled that an Istanbul governorate ban on anti-war demonstrations violated freedom of assembly because authorities had failed to establish a sufficiently concrete justification.
23 October: A Turkish prosecutor requested the conviction of 14 Boğaziçi University students prosecuted over a 2025 campus protest, while recommending acquittal for journalist Can Öztürk, who covered the demonstration.
25 October: Workers employed by a nuclear-medicine subcontractor at an Istanbul hospital reported dismissals following unionization and alleged inadequate radiation protection.
Freedom of Expression and Media
19 October: A media-freedom monitoring report documented court orders restricting access to 13 news articles about Justice Minister Akın Gürlek’s assets and parliamentary questions concerning an investment-fund scandal.
20 October: A Turkish court jailed journalist Murat Ağırel and other suspects pending trial in a money-laundering investigation involving relatives of an opposition politician.
20 October: A Turkish court jailed journalist Mehmet Yılmaz pending trial over alleged Gülen movement links following an investigation citing digital communications and alleged organizational connections.
21 October: Turkish prosecutors sought up to four-and-a-half years in prison for journalist Fatih Ergin over a September social-media post containing an error he corrected approximately 90 minutes later.
21 October: A Turkish court jailed BirGün journalist İsmail Arı pending trial on a disinformation charge following a complaint about his reporting on alleged nepotism.
Freedom of Religion
23 October: A Turkish court jailed 19 additional people pending trial in a financial-crimes investigation targeting people associated with the Süleymanlılar religious community.
Judicial Independence & Rule of Law
19 October: Turkish prosecutors sought sentences of up to 50 years for 22 former judges and prosecutors accused of ordering unlawful detentions during investigations conducted between 2009 and 2012.
20 October: A Turkish court sentenced suspended Bolu mayor Tanju Özcan to more than seven years in prison on extortion charges and imposed a political ban; he denied wrongdoing.
23 October: A Turkish court jailed opposition-run Çukurova mayor Emrah Kozay, his predecessor and 32 others pending trial in a corruption investigation.
24 October: A Turkish court jailed Milas mayor Fevzi Topuz, his son and other suspects pending trial in a municipal corruption investigation.
Kurdish Minority
21 October: Kurdish student Nuda Kartal, previously acquitted after 73 days in detention as a minor, was prevented from enrolling at university because her secondary school counted 55 days in custody as absences.
Prison Conditions
22 October: Lawyers reported that prison review boards at Sincan Women’s Prison delayed prisoners’ conditional release using disputed assessments of their conduct.
25 October: Newly publicized figures showed that 266 girls were held in Turkish prisons, including 185 in pretrial detention and 81 serving sentences; the figures concern an earlier reporting date.
Refugees and Migrants
19 October: UN special rapporteurs urged Türkiye not to deport Iranian human rights defender Morteza Amiri and his family, warning that he reportedly faces a death sentence and risks torture or execution if returned to Iran. Their 20 August letter, made public on 19 October, called for an individualized assessment of the family’s protection needs.
Torture and Ill-Treatment
23 October: Hacettepe University student and activist Hasan Basri Usta alleged that men he identified as police officers abducted him in Ankara on 15 October, beat and blindfolded him, and threatened to kill him unless he provided information about fellow activists and became an informant. Usta said he obtained a medical report documenting injuries.
Transnational Repression
19 October: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye had secured the closure or takeover of Gülen-linked schools in more than 50 countries and pledged to continue the campaign abroad. He did not specify which countries or how many schools were affected.
21 October: Turkish officials pressed Belgium to extradite people accused of Gülen movement links and take action concerning associated institutions; Belgian officials emphasized judicial safeguards.
Women’s Rights
25 October: Women’s organizations and lawyers in İzmir protested after the killings of Ebru Serep, Pınar Güneş and lawyer Özge Penbegül within ten days, calling for stronger protection measures.
Gender Rights
24 October: Turkish police detained 45 people in seven provinces over allegations of obscenity and prostitution linked to social-media activity; rights advocates said most detained were transgender women.
