HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

• Jailed for 29 years, seriously ill political prisoner admitted to intensive care unit 

  Cemal Tanhan, a political prisoner for 29 years, has been hospitalised due to acute deterioration of his health.
• Dr. Gisela Penteker: Isolation is torture 

  IPPNW physician Dr. Gisela Penteker called for the release of Abdullah Öcalan, stating that isolation is torture and affects the entire society.
• 26 detained in police attack on Saturday Mothers in Istanbul 

  The Saturday Mothers, who have been taking to the streets for their relatives who have disappeared in state custody for decades, were attacked by the police again.
• Kurdish political prisoner Izzettin Sevilgen released after 31 years 

  Izzettin Sevilgen has been released after 31 years in Turkish prison and was welcomed enthusiastically in Siirt. The release had been postponed several times because the Kurdish prisoner, who was convicted of PKK membership, showed no remorse.
• Kurdish refugees detained in Slovakia go on hunger strike in protest at inhumane treatment 

  Many refugees from Kurdistan are held in the Medved'ov Detention Centre, where some of them have already spent months. They are not provided with information as to why they were detained or how long it will last.
• Lawyer for Jina Amini’s family sentenced to prison for “propaganda against the state” 

  Charged with “propaganda against the state”, the lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from social media for two years.
• At least 21 workers from Van died at work in first 10 months of 2023 

  Kurdish workers in Turkish cities continue to fall victim to workplace murders. In the last week, 3 workers from Van lost their lives in occupational murders at construction sites.
• Bilmez: Lawlessness in Imralı spreads to the whole of Turkey 

  Lawyer Ibrahim Bilmez said that the lawlessness in Imralı has spread throughout Turkey "because there is no such thing as a ‘state of exception’ in law. The laws introduced targeting Abdullah Öcalan have become Turkey's problem today."
• Many detained in police attack on Saturday Mothers in Istanbul 

  The Saturday Mothers in Istanbul were again attacked by the police and many were taken into custody.
• Kurdish man sentenced to ten years imprisonment for applauding at rally in Hakkari 

  Ilhan Kaynak from Hakkari was sentenced to ten years in prison under the terrorism paragraph. The only basis for this sentence is his applause at a rally in 2015.
• Jailed for 31 years, political prisoner denied release due to "lack of remorse" 

  Political prisoner Izzetin Sevilgen, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for 31 years, remains behind bars as his release has been postponed for the fourth time due to "lack of remorse".
• Babur: There is torture and repression in prisons 

  The co-chair of the prisoner solidarity association TUHAY-DER in Van, Edibe Babur, explains that torture and arbitrariness prevail in the Turkish state's prisons.
• Saturday Mothers attacked and detained once again on the 967th week of action 

  Despite a contrary ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court, Istanbul police have again attacked the Saturday Mothers' gathering at Galatasaray Square.
• Mother who received remains of son in a box to stay in prison 

  Halise Aksoy, the mother who received her son's remains in a box following his death in clashes in Dersim in 2017, remains in prison.
• KHRN releases report of human rights violations in Rojhilat in September 

  The Kurdistan Human Rights Network’s (KHRN) recent investigations reveal numerous cases of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians and activists in September 2023.
• Political prisoner Yılmaz Özalp passes away after belated release 

  43-year-old Yılmaz Özalp has died as a result of a heart attack he suffered in prison in August.
• Kurdish civil rights activist denied access to medical care in Sanandaj Prison 

  Kurdish civil rights activist Hiro Ghadimi faces inadequate conditions and is denied access to necessary medical care in the women’s ward of Sanandaj Prison.
• Activists say that life and health of ill prisoners are under threat 

  Activists in the sit-in for ill prisoners said that the life and health of ill prisoners are under threat because of the refuse to release them.
• Kurdish political prisoner on death row begins hunger strike in Urmia 

  A Kurdish political prisoner facing a death sentence in Iran went on a hunger strike on 28 September to protest the Iranian security authorities’ continued pressure to issue a second death sentence against him.
• Saturday Mothers violently attacked and detained by the police 

  Despite a contrary ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court, Istanbul police have again attacked the Saturday Mothers' gathering at Galatasaray Square.
• Political prisoners in Sincan women's jail write to CPT 

  Political prisoners in Sincan women's jail have asked the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to investigate prisons in Turkey and point to deaths and discrimination against Kurds.
• Supreme Court confirms prison sentence for 5 people in Gezi Park case 

  The Supreme Court upheld the sentence given to 5 people in the Gezi Park case. Among those to remain in prison are Osman Kavala and Can Atalay. The court decided to release Mücella Yapıcı and 2 people.
• 1,803 agricultural workers died in occupational homicides in 10 years 

  At least 1,803 agricultural workers have been victims of occupational homicides in Turkey during the past 10 years.
• The body of HPG guerrilla Fedekar Hêlîn given to his family after 10 month wait 

  The body of HPG guerrilla Fedekar Hêlîn (Mazlum Akman), who fell as a martyr in the Turkish state's aerial bombardment of Gabar, was given to his family 10 months later.
• ÖHD lawyers call on Turkish government to adhere to its own and international laws 

  The legal association ÖHD called on the Turkish government to adhere to its own laws and international regulations and to end the illegal isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and his three fellow prisoners.