ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 109 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.
23 July: The Ministry of Interior announced that a total of 73 people were detained in 16 provinces between 19 and 22 July on the grounds that they were allegedly members of the Gülen movement on grounds such as using ‘ByLock’.
ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF LIFE
25 July: Bedrettin Düzen, a 32-year-old shepherd, was killed by a landmine explosion in the Doskî Valley region of Yüksekova district in Hakkari, Turkey, highlighting the ongoing danger of landmines in areas frequented by local herders.
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
27 July: Turkish police detained 4 activists in Ankara during a protest against a controversial bill targeting stray dogs.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
23 July: Nearly 200 journalists appeared in court in Turkey between April and June 2024, facing charges including "aiding a terrorist organization" and "insulting the president," amidst escalating legal actions and threats against media personnel.
23 July: The news reports on the allegation that several children aged between 7 and 14, who went to the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) in Mardin's Artuklu district at different times, were subjected to sexual harassment by a representative of the association, were blocked from access by the decision of the Mardin 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace.
25 July: Director Ömer Leventoğlu and cameraman Hüseyin Altürk were briefly detained by police on the Sakarya-Kocaeli highway for possessing t-shirts with the image of imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş; they were released after several hours, and the t-shirts were confiscated.
25 July: Mezopotamya Agency's domain names mezopotamyaajansi.net, mezopotamyaajansi37.com, mobilma.com and mezopotamyapanel.com were blocked from access with the decision of Gümüşhane Criminal Judge of Peace on the grounds of protection of national security and public order.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
25 July: A judgment recently delivered by Turkey’s Constitutional Court has demonstrated that the top court is turning a blind eye to a landmark European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling that faulted Turkey over the systematic conviction of people accused of having links to the faith-based Gülen movement.
KURDISH MINORITY
24 July: In Mersin, 9 people who were detained on the grounds of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ for sharing a video of them dancing halay on the beach on their social media accounts were handcuffed behind their backs and forced to listen to the national song ‘Ölürüm Türkiyem’ by the police officers in charge at Mersin Police Department.
25 July: An Ankara court has issued its reasoned decision in the trial of Kurdish journalists convicted on terrorism charges earlier in July, accusing the defendants of “manipulating public opinion” through their publications.
26 July: Police raided a Kurdish wedding in Ağrı's Doğubayazıt district, detaining several individuals including the wedding hall owner, a musician, and a camera operator, on charges of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" linked to the display of traditional Kurdish attire and songs.
PRISON CONDITIONS
24 July: Prisoners in Balıkesir Bandırma T Type Prison were not given ventilators by the administration, and some prisoners were sent to emergency hospitals due to health problems due to high temperature and overcrowding.
24 July: 64 inmates in Denizli D Type Prison were reportedly poisoned from the lunch they ate on 23 July 2024 and were treated in the prison infirmary and later in hospitals without informing their families; Denizli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated a judicial and administrative investigation into the incident.
REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
25 July: Ibrahim Izziddin, a Syrian asylum seeker held in Kırklareli Pehlivanköy Removal Centre for deportation, allegedly died due to ill-treatment.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
23 July: Adil Somalı, a 55-year-old businessman imprisoned for alleged links to the Gülen movement, died of a heart attack in a Turkish prison after his parole was delayed by 15 days due to administrative inaction.
23 July: Fahrettin İşgüder, a 73-year-old businessman imprisoned in Turkey for alleged links to the Gülen movement, died due to excessive heat and overcrowding in a Turkish prison after collapsing and being hospitalized over the weekend.
23 July: Hatice Kahraman, a 40-year-old former teacher dismissed and convicted over alleged links to the Gülen movement, died of a brain hemorrhage while awaiting the outcome of her appeal.
25 July: The UN Committee Against Torture published its findings on several countries which were reviewed in its latest session, expressing alarm at allegations that torture and ill-treatment continue to occur in Turkey, including beatings and sexual assault by law enforcement officers.
25 July: Despite her deteriorating health from multiple brain tumors and a brain hemorrhage, Özge Özbek remains imprisoned in Turkey under the Council of Forensic Medicine's controversial decision deeming her fit for incarceration.
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