HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

• Germany urges Turkey to implement ECtHR judgements 

  Germany's Foreign Ministry has asked Turkey to "immediately and fully" implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decisions as Turkey rolled out its ‘Human Rights Action Plan’.
• Hunger Strikes Monitoring Coordination: People must protest isolation in prisons 

  Hunger Strikes Monitoring Marmara Coordination pointed to the 22 years of isolation in Imrali and called on the public to support the prisoners' resistance.
• Strip-search reported in the prisons in Van as well 

  Strip search is getting more and more frequent in Turkey. Co-chair of DER TUHAY in Van province Kudret Temel reveals that there are also many complaints from prisons in Van.
• Urgent action letter to the UN Special Rapporteurs on the killing of Tahir Elçi 

  “Turkey must take steps to ensure a fair trial by an impartial and independent tribunal respecting the procedural rights of Tahir Elçi’s family, as well as carry out a prompt, effective, impartial, and independent investigation into Mr. Elçi’s death.”
• RiseUp4Rojava stands in solidarity with Greek hunger striker Koufontinas 

  RiseUp4Rojava issued a statement of solidarity with Greek hunger striker Dimitris Koufontinas.
• Lawyers of Abdullah Öcalan apply to visit their client 

  Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan's lawyers applied to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to meet with their client.
• Call for Council of Europe action against Turkey over Kavala case 

  Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Commission of Jurists and Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project have demanded the release of businessperson and rights defender Osman Kavala.
• Forensic Architecture says police fired shot that killed Tahir Elçi 

  The second hearing of the Tahir Elçi case will be held on 3 March.
• Statement at the Human Rights Council addresses issue of Turkish 'weaponizing' water 

  Written statement to the forty-six session of the Human Rights Council addressed the issue of ‘weaponizing’ water by Turkey in North and East Syria.
• Maat for Peace submits statements on Afrin and Shengal to UN Human Rights Council  

  Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association, has submitted a written statement to the 46th session of the Human Rights Council about Afrin.
• Hunger strikes in Turkish prisons reach day 93 

  The hunger strike launched in prisons against the Imrali isolation continues on its 93rd day. The solidarity hunger strike launched in Maxmur continues on its 72nd day and in Greece on its 55th.
• Activists in Oslo protest rights violation in South Kurdistan 

  Activists in Oslo protested violations of human rights and freedom of expression in South Kurdistan.
• Turkey, the country of suicides 

  In Turkey 5, 806 people have committed suicide due to financial troubles between 2002 and 2019.
• Prisoner with disability remains behind bars! 

  Prisoner Serdal Yıldırım has not been released despite a disability of 98 percent.
• Former HDP co-mayor Hatipoğlu sentenced to 2 years in prison 

  Former co-mayor of Hakkari, Dilek Hatipoğlu, who was subjected to violence while being transferred from Sincan to Van and was not heard from for a while, was sentenced to more than 2 years in prison.
• KDP hands over Kurdish politician to Turkey 

  The KDP has handed over a politician named Ömer Bartan, who spent 12 years in Turkish prisons and took refuge in Hewlêr to Turkey.
• Prisoner alleged to have attempted to commit suicide dies in Van 

  Ramazan Akbaşlı, a prisoner alleged to have attempted to commit suicide in Van F Type Closed Prison, has died. It was learned that Akbaşlı's remanins will be buried in his hometown, in the province of Saray.
• No news about former HDP co-mayor Hatipoğlu 

  Former co-mayor of Hakkari province, Dilek Hatipoğlu, was subjected to strip-search and violence while being transferred to another prison. Her family had no news about  her since. Her father applied to the Human Rights Association (IHD).
• Sit-in in Amed to protest isolation 

  DIK members were prevented from making a statement to Amed to draw attention to the hunger strikes carried out in prison demanding the end of the isolation imposed on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and his release.
• Isolation punishment for lawyer Aytaç Ünsal 

  Political prisoner and lawyer Aytaç Ünsal is still in very serious health condition after his hunger strike. Instead of being released given the incompatibility with prison, he was punished with isolation.
• PJAK protests rights violations and arrests in Iran 

  Over a hundred Kurdish activists have been arrested in Rojhilat since the beginning of the year. PJAK protested against the mass arrest in The Hague and called on the international community to act.
• Prison guards raid wards with dogs in Urfa 

  Rights violations in Turkey’s prisons continue increasingly as no action is taken to stop the inhumane and unlawful conditions of detention.
• Hunger strikes in prison reach day 86 

  The hunger strike launched in prisons against the Imrali isolation continues on its 86th day. The solidarity hunger strike launched in Maxmur continues on its 65th day and in Greece on its 48th.
• 124 lawsuits and almost 27 years prison sentences against Eren Keskin  

  A total of 124 lawsuits were filed against IHD co-chair Eren Keskin. The total prison sentences against Keskin amount to 26 years 9 months and 20 days.
• Rights and legal organizations denounce abduction of civilians by state forces 

  Rights and law organizations filed a criminal complaint, drawing attention to the abduction and torture of Kurds and dissidents by state forces.