ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST
Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 3 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 DEPRIVATION OF LIFE
3 December: Cemal Altıparmakoğlu, a 48-year-old primary school teacher dismissed during Turkey's post-2016 crackdown on alleged Gülen movement ties, died on November 29 after a delayed release from prison despite severe health conditions and a 67 percent disability report.
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
3 December: Police detained 84 people during a press statement in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, Şişhane Square, protesting military operations and clashes in Northern Syria.
4 December: The Urfa Governor's Office announced a two-day ban on gatherings, marches, press statements, hunger strikes, sit-ins, rallies, leaflet distribution, and similar activities, as well as restricting the entry of individuals deemed likely to participate in such events, effective from December 4 to December 6, 2024.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA
4 December: Prof. Dr. Cenap Ekinci, a faculty member at Dicle University Medical School and former DEVA Party candidate for Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, was arrested on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda through social media posts concerning recent developments in Syria.
5 December: Turkish journalist Yüsra Batıhan faces prosecution under the controversial "disinformation law" for reporting on alleged government failures during the February 2023 earthquakes, with a second hearing set for January 2025.
6 December: Turkish journalist Ayşenur Arslan, a veteran broadcaster and former presenter on the pro-opposition Halk TV, faces up to seven and a half years in prison for allegedly disseminating propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in comments made on a television program.
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW
3 December: The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey violated the right to a fair trial of eight judges and prosecutors by failing to provide sufficient procedural safeguards during their involuntary transfers between 2014 and 2015.
3 December: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Turkey violated the rights of 379 individuals detained after the 2016 coup attempt due to insufficient grounds for their pretrial detention.
3 December: Requests to lift the immunity of CHP Aydın MP Hüseyin Yıldız, DEM Party Mardin MP Kamuran Tanhan, İYİ Party Antep MP Mehmet Mustafa Gürban, and Independent İstanbul MP Cemal Enginyurt have been submitted to the Turkish Parliament.
5 December: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, former leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), faces new criminal charges that could result in up to 65 years in prison across 18 cases, following the loss of his parliamentary immunity after not seeking re-election.
KURDISH MINORITY
3 December: In Tunceli, police detained five individuals, including municipal council member Yoldaş Toka, during home raids targeting participants of protests against the appointment of trustees to local municipalities.
3 December: A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for journalist Ayşe Kara, currently residing in Germany, on charges of membership in an armed terrorist organization after she failed to appear for the third hearing in her retrial, following the overturning of her 2021 acquittal.
4 December: Abdullah Zeydan, the pro-Kurdish mayor of Van, faces potential removal from office after Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a 2023 ruling that had reinstated his eligibility to run, citing insufficient legal grounds and a required three-year waiting period post-release from prison.
TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT
4 December: Activists detained during a protest against Turkey's commercial ties with Israel reported police mistreatment, including denial of basic rights such as access to toilets and the ability to perform prayers.
5 December: A social media campaign is urging Turkish authorities to release Mehmet Gürler, a purged military officer with advanced multiple sclerosis, whose deteriorating health highlights concerns over the treatment of sick prisoners in Turkey.
6 December: Three police officers and a doctor accused of involvement in the torture of a former teacher in police custody are now standing trial in Antalya, the first such trial concerning alleged acts of torture following a coup attempt in July 2016.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
3 December: A UN Women Türkiye report reveals that 35.8% of women with disabilities in Turkey have experienced abuse, with nearly 90% facing psychological violence, highlighting systemic barriers in education, employment, and healthcare.
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