ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 37 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.
5 November: Twelve former police officers in Turkey, previously dismissed by government decree (KHK), have been detained as part of an arbitrary operation targeting individuals accused of links to the Gülen movement.
ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF LIFE
5 November: A dismissed Turkish police officer, who was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, has died after authorities delayed his release from prison despite his critical condition, sparking outrage and highlighting ongoing concerns about the inadequate treatment of seriously ill inmates and the harsh conditions faced by political prisoners.
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
4 November: The governor's offices of Mardin, Şırnak, Diyarbakır, Van, Ağrı, Şanlıurfa, and Batman announced bans on all potential public gatherings and activities, including press statements, assemblies, marches, hunger strikes, sit-ins, rallies, setting up stands or tents, distributing leaflets or brochures, and hanging posters or banners, as well as restrictions on the entry and exit of individuals likely to participate in such events, effective for between 2-10 days starting November 4, 2024.
5 November: On the second day of protests that erupted over the removal of three Kurdish mayors from their posts in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, dozens of people, including two journalists, were forcibly detained by the police.
5 November: In Antalya, 12 people, including 8 members of the Halkevleri organization, were detained during house raids, allegedly due to slogans and songs performed during May Day celebrations.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
5 November: Rights groups have called on Turkey’s parliament to reject a proposed amendment criminalizing the disclosure of information deemed to harm foreign intelligence operations, warning it poses a serious threat to press freedom and the public's right to information.
5 November: In Istanbul, eight individuals were detained during house raids over social media posts related to the death of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
7 November: Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed a fine on the Bursada Bugün news website following remarks made by anchor Aysın Komitgan, who expressed condolences on the death of Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen during a live broadcast.
9 November: Journalist Furkan Karabay has been arrested in Turkey over his reporting and social media posts criticizing the government’s takeover of municipalities in Kurdish-majority regions.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
6 November: The Council of Europe has strongly condemned Turkey’s dismissal of elected mayors in the Kurdish-majority southeast, describing the move as an affront to democratic principles and local self-governance, and urging Turkish authorities to respect the will of voters and uphold the rule of law.
6 November: A job candidate in Turkey, who achieved the highest score in a recruitment exam but was controversially rejected during the interview process, has died by suicide, sparking outrage over alleged favoritism and unfair hiring practices in public service.
KURDISH MINORITY
4 November: Turkey’s Interior Ministry has dismissed three mayors from the Kurdish-majority southeast, accusing them of links to terrorism, with trustees appointed in their place, a move criticized as part of a broader crackdown on pro-Kurdish politicians
7 November: Prosecutors have launched an investigation into DEM Party co-chairperson and lawmaker Tuncer Bakırhan and Mardin provincial chairman Mehmet Mihdi Tunç, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish DBP, over their remarks criticizing the Turkish government’s removal of elected mayors.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
4 November: During protests against the removal of co-mayors in Mardin, Batman, and Urfa’s Halfeti district, police raided the home of Batman Municipal Council Member Mehmet Erol, subjecting him and his family to physical violence. His son, Medeni Erol, who has a 70% mental disability, was reportedly tortured with police dogs, leaving both injured, and Medeni was detained.
7 November: Emine Güçlüer, imprisoned in Turkey with her toddler over alleged links to the Gülen movement, faces unmet needs in prison, prompting calls for her release by MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu.
7 November: Mehmet Başaran, a prisoner at Tekirdağ F type Prison, suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in intensive care for three days. Despite his critical condition, he was returned to the prison without his family being informed.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
5 November: Forty-eight women were murdered by men in Turkey in September, setting a record as the highest monthly toll ever reported, the We Will Stop Femicide Platform reported.
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