Advocates of Silenced Turkey, Author at Advocates of Silenced Turkey

Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on its mission to Turkey

Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on its mission to Turkey

July 2016 / (19 Pages)

Turkey has not come to terms with past-enforced disappearances in all relevant areas, namely truth, justice, reparation, and memory of the victims. There has been no comprehensive policy to address disappearances. Many families do not know the truth about what happened to their loved ones, there has hardly been a single case of criminal responsibility or civil liability for an act of enforced disappearance, there are no reparation programmes independent from the compensation that may be awarded by a court, nor any effective and accessible social or psychological support for families, and there is no public memorial site or symbolic place for the families — and for society as a whole — to remember the victims and pay tribute to them. This lack of measures to address disappearances results from a combination of factors: mainly the lack of clear political will in all spheres to seriously tackle the issue, combined with legal and other obstacles. Read More

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Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns

May 2015 / (23 Pages)

During the period under review, killings due to excessive use of force by security officers and killings of members of vulnerable groups persisted. Some measures taken by the State, including a draft law that would increase the powers of the police to use force, appear to take regressive steps. The Government of Turkey has introduced measures in an attempt to reduce domestic violence, but efforts need to be further intensified and properly implemented. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons remain particularly vulnerable to violence and lack protection, in law and in practice. The fight against impunity remains a serious challenge and the effectiveness of investigations and the length of proceedings should be addressed. The effect of the application of the statute of limitations and the lack of fully independent mechanisms for accountability further aggravate the climate of impunity. Read More

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Turkey: the Judicial System in Peril

Turkey: the Judicial System in Peril

June 2016 / (28 Pages)

The ICJ raises concerns at measures eroding the independence of the judiciary, prosecution, and legal profession in Turkey, with serious consequences for protection of human rights. It analyses developments in law and practice that have affected the independence of both the governing institutions of the judiciary and prosecution, and the security of tenure and independence of individual judges in practice. It urges the executive and legislative authorities to refrain from all actions and rheto¬ric contrary to the separation of powers, and emphasizes the need to protect the safety of lawyers and other human rights defenders, and to undertake a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the killing of the President of the Diyarbakir Bar Association, Tahir Elçi. Read More

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Turkey 2018 Report

Turkey 2018 Report

April 2018 / (112 Pages)

The broad scale and collective nature, and the disproportionality of measures taken since the attempted coup under the state of emergency, such as widespread dismissals, arrests, and detentions, continue to raise serious concerns. Turkey should lift the state of emergency without delay. Since the introduction of the state of emergency, over 150 000 people were taken into custody, 78 000 were arrested and over 110 000 civil servants were dismissed whilst, according to the authorities, some 40 000 were reinstated of which some 3 600 by decree. Civil society came under increasing pressure, notably in the face of a large number of arrests of activists, including human rights defenders, and the recurrent use of bans of demonstrations and other types of gatherings, leading to a rapid shrinking space for fundamental rights and freedoms. Read More

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Turkey 2016 Report

Turkey 2016 Report

November 2016 / (102 Pages)

Following the coup attempt, very extensive suspensions, dismissals, arrests and detentions took place over alleged links to the Gülen movement and involvement in the attempted coup. The measures affected the whole spectrum of society with particular impact on the judiciary, police, gendarmerie, military, civil service, local authorities, academia, teachers, lawyers, the media and the business community. Multiple institutions and private companies were shut down, their assets seized or transferred to public institutions. There has been backsliding in the past year, in particular with regard to the independence of the judiciary. The extensive changes to the structures and composition of high courts are of serious concern and are not in line with European standards Many allegations of serious violations of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment and of procedural rights were reported in the immediate aftermath of the coup attempt. In the wake of the post-coup measures, the EU called on the authorities to observe the highest standards in the rule of law and fundamental rights. Read More

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Turkey 2015 Report

Turkey 2015 Report

November 2015 / (92 Pages)

There was significant backsliding in the areas of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Legislation on internal security contradicts the measures outlined in the March 2014 action plan on the prevention of violations of the ECHR by granting broad discretionary powers to the law enforcement agencies without adequate oversight. After several years of progress on freedom of expression, serious backsliding was seen over the past two years, with some level of preparation in this field. While it had been possible to discuss some sensitive and controversial issues in a free environment, ongoing and new criminal cases against journalists, writers or social media users are of considerable concern. Changes to the Internet law, which are a significant setback from European standards, increased the government’s powers to block content without a court order on an unduly wide range of grounds. Read More

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Turkey 2018 Human Rights Report

Turkey 2018 Human Rights Report

April 2019 / (63Pages)

Turkey is a constitutional republic with an executive presidential system and a 600-seat legislature. The unicameral parliament (the Grand National Assembly) exercises legislative authority. The most recent presidential and parliamentary elections took place on June 24; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers expressed concern regarding restrictions on media reporting and the campaign environment that restricted the ability of opposition candidates to compete on an equal basis and campaign freely, including the continued detention of a presidential candidate. Civilian leaders maintained effective control over security forces. The government dismissed thousands of additional police and military personnel on terrorism-related grounds using state of emergency decrees and new anti-terror laws as part of its response to the failed coup attempt of July 2016. Read More

Turkey 2017 International Religious Freedom Report

Turkey 2017 International Religious Freedom Report

May 2018 / (22Pages)

From July 2016 through the end of the year, police arrested more than 50,000 individuals for alleged ties to the Gulen movement or related groups. During the year the government suspended or dismissed thousands of public officials from state institutions, including more than a thousand Diyanet employees. The government continued to prosecute individuals for “openly disrespecting the religious belief of a group” and continued to limit the rights of non-Muslim minorities, especially those not recognized under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty Read More

Turkey 2017 Human Rights Report

Turkey 2017 Human Rights Report

April 2018 / (64 Pages)

The most significant human rights issues included alleged torture of detainees in official custody; allegations of forced disappearance; arbitrary arrest and detention under the state of emergency of tens of thousands, including members of parliament and two Turkish-national employees of the U.S. Mission to Turkey, for alleged ties to terrorist groups or peaceful legitimate speech; executive interference with independence of the judiciary, affecting the right to a fair trial and due process; political prisoners, including numerous elected officials; severe restriction of freedoms of expression and media, including imprisonment of scores of journalists, closing media outlets, and criminalization of criticism of government Read More

Turkey 2016 Human Rights Report

Turkey 2016 Human Rights Report

March 2017 / (75 Pages)

Following the July 15 coup attempt, the government on July 20 declared a three-month state of emergency, which was renewed in October. The government suspended and dismissed tens of thousands of civil servants, who generally had little access to legal recourse or appeal, and closed thousands of businesses, schools, and associations. The government interfered greatly with freedom of expression. There is clear evidence of inadequate protection of civilians. Human rights groups reported that security forces killed and injured persons who attempted to cross illegally from Syria into Turkey and documented reports of torture and abuse of prisoners following the coup attempt. The government impeded access by international media and observers to conflict areas, limiting independent reporting about conditions Read More

Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on its mission to Turkey

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns

Turkey: the Judicial System in Peril

Turkey 2018 Report

Turkey 2016 Report

Turkey 2015 Report

Turkey 2018 Human Rights Report

Turkey 2017 International Religious Freedom Report

Turkey 2017 Human Rights Report

Turkey 2016 Human Rights Report

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Turkey 2016 Human Rights Report