ARBITRARY DETENTION AND ARREST

Throughout the week, prosecutors ordered the detention of at least 48 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.

11 April: Turkish authorities detained 36 people in coordinated raids across four provinces for alleged ties to the Gülen movement, citing phone conversations, financial aid to victims of persecution, and past use of the ByLock app as evidence despite ECHR Yalçınkaya Judgement.

ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF LIFE

8 April: Kadir Coşkun, a 65-year-old chronically ill inmate with COPD, died in İzmir after alleged medical negligence in prison, where no doctor or ambulance was provided despite his worsening condition, prompting his family to file a complaint amid rising deaths in Turkish prisons.

11 April: In Kars province, a specialist sergeant was arrested and jailed for shooting and killing a young civilian man after accusing him of “looking at him the wrong way,” in an incident caught on camera.

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

8 April: CHP MP Mahmut Tanal’s solo protest in front of Turkey’s Justice Ministry for jailed students was disrupted by police, who dismantled his tent and took security measures, reflecting broader police crackdowns on mass protests following İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu’s arrest.

8 April: İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that 20 separate indictments were filed against 819 individuals, including 278 in pretrial detention, for participating in protests against the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

10 April: Police intervened in a forum organized by the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) in İstanbul’s Gülhane Park, detaining 47 people including children.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA

9 April: The parents of Berkin Elvan, who died in 2014 by a police-fired tear gas canister during the 2013 Gezi Park protests, were given suspended prison sentences for allegedly insulting President Erdoğan, whom they held responsible for their son’s death, despite a 16-year sentence for the officer involved and an ECtHR ruling that Turkey failed to investigate official responsibility.

9 April: Artist Sevinç Eratalay was detained after a police raid on her home over a social media post commemorating Mahir Çayan, accused of making “terrorist propaganda,” and was released after questioning by the Antalya prosecutor’s office.

10 April: Prominent Turkish academic and journalist Nuray Mert, 65, announced she will no longer write or speak on politics due to fear of imprisonment, following her indictment for alleged PKK links over a 2014 photo taken during peace talks.

10 April: Turkish journalists Timur Soykan and Murat Ağırel were briefly detained over alleged blackmail linked to a TV station sale, prompting condemnation from media outlets who say the move aims to silence criticism of İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu’s arrest.

10 April: Renowned photographer and architect Murat Germen was detained at Istanbul Airport on charges of “inciting hatred and hostility,” sparking widespread outrage from academics and public figures who view his detention as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Turkey.

11 April: An İstanbul prosecutor is seeking prison sentences for seven journalists detained while covering protests over Mayor İmamoğlu’s arrest, accusing them of unlawfully participating in demonstrations despite their claims of performing journalistic duties, prompting condemnation from press freedom groups.

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE & RULE OF LAW

8 April: An indictment finalized 77 days after his arrest seeks up to 7 years and 10 months in prison for Victory Party leader Ümit Özdağ, who is jailed in Silivri, on charges of “inciting hatred and hostility through the press in a continuous manner”.

10 April: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 2599 urging Turkey to immediately release Osman Kavala and implement key ECtHR judgments, criticizing Ankara’s persistent non-compliance as “absolutely unacceptable” and warning of a systemic risk to the Convention system.

TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT

7 April: Seriously ill inmate Soydan Akay, who suffers from multiple chronic conditions and is eligible for parole, was denied urgent care after suffering a heart attack in Marmara Prison in March, as authorities misdiagnosed it as high blood pressure and returned him to his cell.

10 April: Seven women detained in Ankara on March 22 for protesting the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu were subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including strip searches, prompting the Ankara Bar Association to file a criminal complaint and request an administrative investigation from the Interior Ministry.

Turkey Rights Monitor - Issue 251