The family and lawyers of a man who died in an Istanbul hospital 12 days after a court jailed him pending trial are seeking an independent investigation into how he suffered extensive injuries while in state custody and whether he received timely medical treatment. At an Istanbul news conference reported Sunday by the Bianet news […] The post Family seeks investigation after man dies in Turkish custody with unexplained injuries appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court has jailed Erdal Beşikçioğlu, an award-winning actor who became mayor of Ankara’s Etimesgut district, and 39 others pending trial in a corruption investigation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday. Beşikçioğlu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was among 55 people detained in raids across nine provinces on July 30. […] The post Actor-turned-opposition mayor jailed in expanding crackdown on CHP municipalities appeared first on Stockhol...

An İstanbul court on Friday jailed Sinem Dedetaş, the first female mayor of the city’s Üsküdar district who ended 30 years of Islamist-based rule, and three others pending trial in a corruption investigation, the latest step in a legal crackdown on municipalities run by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s opponents. Dedetaş, 45, mayoral chief of staff […] The post İstanbul court jails Üsküdar’s first woman mayor, 3 others in corruption investigation appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

More than half of 70 requests for information from Turkish authorities tracked between April and June went unanswered, while nearly three-quarters of the responses that were sent provided none of the information requested, according to a new report by the International Press Institute (IPI). The IPI said 36 of the requests recorded on its Right […] The post More than half of requests for information from Turkish authorities went unanswered from April to June: report appeared first on Stockhol...

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a terrorism conviction based on the use of the ByLock encrypted messaging app did not violate the principle of no punishment without law, despite a landmark European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling that found Turkey’s treatment of ByLock evidence violated the same principle. In a unanimous decision concerning […] The post Turkey’s top court rejects rights violation claim in ByLock conviction despite landmark ECtHR ruling appeared first on Stoc...

Hasan Basri Fırat, a former Kurdish mayor who was removed from office in 2016 and later left Turkey amid a government crackdown on Kurdish politicians, has died at the age of 72, the İlke TV news website reported. He died at a hospital in the western German city of Wuppertal after undergoing heart surgery five […] The post Kurdish mayor ousted by Turkish authorities dies in exile in Germany at 72 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court has said restaurant workers at parliament used their positions to sexually abuse and harass four underage high school interns, whose independent accounts described similar conduct, months after the legislature said it had found no evidence that the misconduct was systematic. Details of the court’s 46-page written ruling were reported Wednesday by the […] The post Turkish court details similar abuse of interns after parliament rejected systematic-harassment claims appeared firs...

The Turkish Parliament has acknowledged that its investigation into a coup attempt in 2016 produced no legally valid final report, despite the government blaming the faith-based Gülen movement and pursuing a decade-long crackdown involving mass arrests, convictions and dismissals. According to the Bold Medya news website, the acknowledgement appeared in a June 15 written response […] The post Turkey’s parliament says 2016 coup inquiry produced no legally valid final report appeared first on S...

Turkey’s unionization rate fell below 14 percent in July as growth in the registered workforce far outpaced an increase in union membership, according to official figures, Turkish Minute reported. The number of workers covered by the statistics rose by 5.58 percent from January to 17,630,475, while union membership increased by only 0.79 percent to 2,432,789, […] The post Turkey’s unionization rate drops below 14 percent despite membership increase appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court has rejected an appeal of the arrest of comedian Deniz Göktaş on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and inciting hatred and hostility during a stand-up show, the BirGün daily reported. The İstanbul 5th First Criminal Court rejected the appeal, finding that the arrest order complied with the law. Göktaş was […] The post Turkish court rejects appeal of comedian’s arrest over stand-up show appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A total of 280 former lawmakers from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced on Monday that they were resigning to support the newly established New Party, deepening a split in the opposition three days after the party’s launch, Turkish Minute reported. The announcement signals substantial support among former CHP politicians for New Party […] The post 280 former lawmakers quit CHP to back Özel’s new opposition movement appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey’s broadcast regulator on Friday opened an investigation into remarks on government-critical broadcaster Sözcü TV that described Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as a “killer” and “terrorist,” saying the language could harm relations with Syria, Turkish Minute reported. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) did not identify the station in its public statement, but the […] The post Turkey’s media regulator investigates Sözcü TV after anchor calls Syria’s Sharaa a ‘killer’ and ‘...

A 51-page court statement submitted by a Turkish woman imprisoned on a conviction of alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement came to light Thursday, detailing allegations that police threatened her with a gun, struck her, removed her headscarf and subjected her to prolonged physical and psychological abuse in custody, the TR724 news website reported. […] The post Newly published statement details Turkish woman’s police abuse allegations appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court on Wednesday released Deutsche Welle Turkish service reporter Alican Uludağ under judicial supervision after he spent approximately 25 hours in police custody over a social media post criticizing the country’s judicial system, Turkish Minute reported. An Ankara criminal judge of peace imposed an international travel ban and ordered Uludağ to report to […] The post DW journalist released with travel ban after detention over post criticizing judicial system appeared first on Sto...

Turkish police on Monday detained the mayor of İzmit, her husband and a local official from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in a corruption investigation, the latest operation targeting an opposition-run municipality, Turkish Minute reported. The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 31 people, including İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, […] The post Main opposition mayor, husband detained as crackdown on opposition municipalities expands...

At least 668 people were detained across Turkey in raids and protests surrounding NATO’s July 7-8 summit in Ankara, while 179 were jailed pending trial in the largest investigation, according to a report by a lawyers’ group affiliated with the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP), Turkish Minute reported. In a review of measures taken before and during […] The post Turkey detained at least 668 in NATO summit crackdown, jailed 179: report appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey on Friday arrested Nasuh Mahruki, the founder and former president of search-and-rescue group AKUT, over a social media post alleging that authorities knowingly allowed a 2016 coup attempt to proceed. An İstanbul court ordered Mahruki’s pretrial detention on charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility or degrading the public” after prosecutors opened […] The post Turkish rescue group founder jailed over post questioning official account of 2016 coup attempt appeared first o...

Turkish authorities have ordered the official YouTube channel of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and an X account operated by his presidential campaign office to be blocked, although both remained accessible in Turkey on Friday. The decision covers İmamoğlu’s YouTube channel, which has 787,000 subscribers, and the campaign office’s X account, followed by 222,000 users. […] The post Turkey moves to block jailed Istanbul mayor’s YouTube channel and campaign account appeared first on Stockh...

The military mobilization presented by Turkish authorities as a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, was a false-flag operation that created the conditions President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needed to consolidate power and build an authoritarian system later used against a growing range of government opponents, according to a new report by the Alliance for Shared […] The post Turkey’s July 15 coup attempt was a false-flag operation used to entrench authoritarian rule: report appeared first on Stockholm...

Turkish security forces have apprehended 5,033 people accused of links to the faith-based Gülen movement while they were attempting to cross from the northwestern province of Edirne into Europe in the decade since a failed coup in Turkey, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Wednesday. The figures were published on July 15, the 10th anniversary […] The post More than 5,000 accused of Gülen links caught trying to cross into Europe since 2016 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court on Friday blocked access to a website reporting defense arguments and courtroom developments in the trial of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, citing national security and public order concerns, the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) reported. The İstanbul 8th Criminal Magistrate of Peace blocked access to the “İstanbul Yargılıyor” (İstanbul Prosecutes) domain […] The post Turkey blocks access to website covering defense in İmamoğlu trial appeared first on Stockholm ...

Only 5.7 percent of private-sector workers in Turkey are union members and a mere 4.2 percent are covered by collective bargaining agreements, according to a report by a labor confederation, which said official statistics overstate both rates. The report, published by the Research Center of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK-AR), examined […] The post Only 5.7 pct of Turkey’s private-sector workers are union members: report appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fre...

Turkey has given a cybersecurity agency reporting directly to the presidency power to order internet and communications companies to carry out emergency measures before a judge reviews them, as part of a broader transfer of online regulatory powers from the country’s telecommunications watchdog, the TR724 news website reported. Under the law, published in the Official […] The post Turkey gives presidential cybersecurity agency power to order internet measures before court review appeared firs...

Kamil Dayan, 37, a former prison guard dismissed by emergency decree and convicted over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died Tuesday from injuries sustained in a traffic accident, the TR724 news website reported. Dayan had been hospitalized in the central province of Niğde for two weeks with injuries sustained in the crash. His […] The post Dismissed prison guard convicted over alleged Gülen links dies after traffic accident appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish police on Thursday detained an award-winning television actor who became an opposition mayor in an Ankara district as part of a corruption investigation, Turkish Minute reported. Erdal Beşikçioğlu, best known for playing a homicide detective, is the latest member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) to face criminal proceedings in what the opposition says […] The post Turkish TV star-turned-mayor detained in new operation targeting opposition appeared first on Stockholm Center for F...

A Turkish court has blocked access to YouTuber Halil İbrahim Balsak’s website and, separately, to a video posted on his YouTube channel, examining how President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other leaders are protected, citing national security and public order. The order came 13 days after the video was published. Information made public about the ruling […] The post Turkish court blocks YouTuber’s website and video on presidential security appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Bülent Kemik, a former police officer dismissed from his job and later imprisoned over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died of colon cancer on Tuesday in the central province of Nevşehir, the TR724 news website reported. Kemik, 51, was dismissed from the Aydın Police Department by an emergency decree following a 2016 coup […] The post Dismissed police officer imprisoned over alleged Gülen links dies of cancer at 51 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Two Kurdish shopkeepers were hospitalized after being beaten with sticks by a large group in Istanbul in what their family described as a racially motivated attack, the Bianet news website reported. Nuh Yıldız said the assailants shouted anti-Kurdish insults as they beat and dragged him and his uncle, Abdurrahman Yıldız, for more than 30 minutes […] The post Kurdish shopkeepers hospitalized after alleged racist mob attack in Istanbul appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Turkish court has transferred control of all assets belonging to prominent disaster-relief charity AHBAP to a state-run fund and initiated its dissolution, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused people targeted in an investigation into the organization of exploiting the 2023 earthquakes for political and financial gain, the BirGün daily reported. The İstanbul 8th Criminal […] The post Court puts AHBAP under state control as Erdoğan targets earthquake ‘opportunists’ appeared first on Stoc...

Turkish authorities have blocked access to the X account of Deutsche Welle Turkish service reporter Alican Uludağ on national security and public order grounds, the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) reported. Uludağ’s account and 13 individual posts were blocked under Article 8/A of Internet Law No. 5651. Both the account and the posts are currently […] The post Turkey blocks DW reporter’s X account on national security grounds appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation following a criminal complaint against journalists over a report alleging that hundreds of people were paid to pose as supporters at an event held by the court-reinstated leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), sparking condemnation from press groups, the BirGün daily reported. The investigation was launched […] The post Turkey investigates journalists over report alleging CHP used paid extras at ceremony appeared f...

Turkish security forces have detained 128 people in raids across 22 provinces and jailed 51 of them pending trial over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, according to a statement from Turkey’s Interior Ministry, the state broadcaster TRT Haber reported Wednesday. Fourteen others were released under judicial supervision, while authorities were still processing the […] The post Turkey detains 128, jails 51 over alleged Gülen movement links appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fr...

Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the state failed to pursue justice in the case of a 1993 arson attack by a mob that killed 35 people inside a hotel during a festival honoring an Alevi poet, Turkish Minute reported. The unanimous ruling found a violation of the state’s duty to investigate the deaths and came 12 […] The post Victims denied justice over 1993 arson attack that killed 35 at Alevi festival in Turkey: top court appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Kurdish race walker has accused Turkey’s athletics federation of excluding him from an international competition because of his ethnic identity, prompting European Athletics to seek a response from the national governing body, Turkish news outlet Bianet reported Wednesday. Cumali Arslan said he applied to compete in a race-walking event in the southern Turkish city […] The post Kurdish race walker accuses Turkish federation of discrimination over denied race entry appeared first on Stockhol...

Özgür Özel, the ousted leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), announced Tuesday that he and his allies are founding a new political party following a court ruling that removed him from CHP leadership and reinstated his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish Minute reported. Speaking at what he described as his final CHP parliamentary […] The post Ousted main opposition leader says he is establishing new party appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Netherlands-based human rights foundation has urged prosecutors outside Turkey to investigate alleged torture, enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity committed during the decade since a failed coup, saying domestic authorities have failed to provide accountability. The 175-page Justice Square report calls for broad investigations under universal-jurisdiction laws, the identification of suspects named in court […] The post Rights report urges prosecutors abroad to investigate al...

A Turkish court has jailed pending trial a woman known on social media as the “Marilyn Monroe of Mardin” over a post questioning the official account of the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, the DHA news agency reported on Friday. Melek Akarmut, 50, was arrested on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” after being detained […] The post ‘Marilyn Monroe of Mardin’ jailed for questioning official account of 2016 coup appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Four international judges associations have called on Turkey to release people imprisoned in violation of fundamental rights during the crackdown that followed a 2016 coup attempt and to restore judicial independence and democratic governance, which have been systematically eroded over the past decade. In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the associations said the dismissal […] The post Int’l judges associations urge Turkey to free post-coup prisoners, restore judicial independence app...

Prominent Turkish actor Levent Üzümcü was detained Thursday over a social media post, his lawyer said, hours after he accused Turkey’s leaders of incompetence. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Üzümcü had been detained as part of an investigation involving his account on X. Authorities had not publicly disclosed the alleged offense or […] The post Turkish actor detained over social media post appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Two Russian tourists were detained in İstanbul after one of them allegedly read aloud from the Bible at Hagia Sophia, the sixth-century Byzantine cathedral reconverted into a mosque in 2020, Turkish Minute reported. The couple, identified by Russian media as Igor and Viktoria Filonov, were detained on July 14 in the visitor section of Hagia […] The post Russian couple detained, face deportation after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into veteran journalist Ertuğrul Özkök over remarks authorities say may have insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an online political discussion, the Bold Medya news website reported. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation was launched following comments Özkök made on journalist Bahar Feyzan’s YouTube program. Prosecutors […] The post Turkey investigates veteran journalist for allegedly insulting Erdoğan ...

Abdülalim Kaya, an 83-year-old seriously ill Kurdish man whose requests for suspension of his sentence were repeatedly rejected despite a medical report finding him 93 percent disabled, died in a hospital in Siirt on July 20, the TR724 news website reported. Kaya passed away after he was hospitalized with kidney failure and fluid buildup in […] The post Seriously ill Kurdish prisoner repeatedly denied suspension of sentence dies at 83 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

İsmihan Şenol, a former literature teacher dismissed by emergency decree over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died of ovarian cancer in Eskişehir on Wednesday at the age of 45, the TR724 news website reported. Şenol was dismissed from her job at İnegöl İmam Hatip High School in Bursa by an emergency decree issued […] The post Former teacher dismissed over alleged Gülen links dies of cancer at 45 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Mustafa Demirhan, a former mathematics teacher dismissed by an emergency decree over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died at a hospital in Samsun on Monday at the age of 56, the TR724 news website reported. Demirhan suffered a stroke after his dismissal and had recently been receiving treatment in intensive care. He was dismissed […] The post Former teacher who suffered stroke after dismissal over alleged Gülen links dies at 56 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish gendarmes detained some 20 people, including five 14-year-old teenagers and a 90-year-old woman, on Wednesday after local residents blocked heavy machinery from entering a mining exploration site in northern Turkey’s Black Sea highlands, the Cumhuriyet daily reported. Residents had gathered at the Turnalık highland pasture in northeastern Ordu province after learning that Taşyapı, the […] The post Five children, 90-year-old among 20 detained at Turkish mining protest appeared first on...

Turkish police on Wednesday detained Sinem Dedetaş, the first female mayor of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district who ended 30 years of Islamist-based rule, and five others in a corruption investigation, the latest step in a legal crackdown on municipalities run by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s opponents, Turkish Minute reported. Police carried out simultaneous raids at 11 […] The post First female mayor of former AKP stronghold detained in corruption probe appeared first on Stockholm Center for F...

İstanbul-based independent broadcaster Açık Radyo (Open Radio) has applied to Turkey’s Constitutional Court, claiming that the revocation of its terrestrial broadcasting license in 2024 violated freedom of expression, press freedom and its right to a fair trial, the Bianet news website reported. The case stems from an on-air reference to the mass killings of Armenians […] The post Açık Radyo takes license revocation case to Turkey’s top court appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Kurdish journalist was detained in İstanbul on terrorism-related accusations for his reporting on the alleged abduction of a member of a pro-Kurdish opposition party, after which he was released under judicial supervision, the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported. Police detained Fermandar Kardeş, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Berû news agency, during a raid on […] The post Journalist briefly detained over report on alleged abduction of pro-Kurdish party member appeared first on Stockholm...

The family of a Kurdish teenager injured when she was hit by an armored police vehicle in southeastern Turkey has accused officers of pressuring them to withdraw their complaint, the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported. Elanur Kına, 17, was walking with her mother, Vesile Kına, along a narrow street in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari […] The post Family of Kurdish teenager hit by police vehicle says officers pressured them to withdraw complaint appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish authorities have blocked access to 3,679 social media accounts they allege were connected to the faith-based Gülen movement during a seven-month digital enforcement campaign, the TRT Haber state broadcaster reported. The accounts represented more than half of the 6,644 accounts restricted during the period. Authorities said the remaining 2,965 accounts were accused of promoting […] The post Turkey blocks thousands of social media accounts over alleged links to Gülen movement appeared ...

Turkish courts sentenced six journalists to a combined seven-and-a-half years in prison during the second quarter of 2026, according to a media monitoring report published Friday. The six journalists were convicted of charges including publicly disseminating misleading information, insulting judicial institutions, violating the confidentiality of an investigation and spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization. Three […] The post Turkey arrested at least 6 journalists in second quarter ...

The mass detentions of environmental volunteers ahead of the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara are raising critical questions over civil liberties, protest rights and diplomatic guarantees as Turkey prepares to host the United Nations COP31 climate conference in the southern city of Antalya, from November 9 to 20, 2026, Nordic Monitor reported. Opposition lawmakers formally […] The post Turkey declines to guarantee free speech protections for COP31 participants as arrests of activists trigger al...

A group of 54 lawmakers, legal experts, academics and human rights advocates has urged Turkey to ensure that any amnesty connected to its renewed Kurdish peace initiative covers everyone they consider a political prisoner, including people accused of links to the faith-based Gülen movement. In a July 3 open letter, made available online on July […] The post European lawmakers, rights advocates urge Turkey to include Gülen movement in any amnesty appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Turkey to intensify its investigation into the disappearance of two Turkmen activists and disclose their whereabouts as the first anniversary of their disappearance approaches. Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov disappeared on July 24, 2025, after a deportation center in the northwestern city of Edirne issued documents for their […] The post HRW urges Turkey to reveal fate of Turkmen activists missing for a year appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fr...

Turkish authorities reversed the dismissal of at least 15 civil servants only after they had died, years after they were removed from their jobs during the crackdown that followed a failed military coup in 2016, the Velev news website reported. The Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK) documented the posthumous decisions in a report […] The post Turkey cleared public workers only after they died following 2016 coup dismissals appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the pretrial detention of journalist Kazım Güleçyüz over a social media post expressing condolences following the death of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen violated his rights to liberty and security as well as freedom of expression. According to the Bold Medya news website, the court unanimously found Güleçyüz, who was […] The post Turkey’s Constitutional Court finds rights violation in journalist’s arrest over Gülen condolence post appeared first o...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has issued 114 judgments finding violations affecting 8,056 people in cases arising from Turkey’s crackdown after a failed coup in 2016, according to a new report by the Justice Square Foundation. The judgments involved the right to liberty, fair-trial guarantees and freedoms of expression and association, among other […] The post ECtHR found rights violations affecting over 8,000 people in Turkey’s post-coup crackdown: report  appeared first on Stoc...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has communicated to the Turkish government questions regarding applications filed by 62 people who allege that their lengthy pretrial detention following a coup attempt in 2016 lacked sufficient legal justification and violated their rights. The court asked whether the applicants’ arrest was based on reasonable suspicion; whether their […] The post ECtHR asks Turkey about lengthy detentions after 2016 coup attempt appeared first on Stockholm Center f...

Turkish police on Thursday detained prominent mountaineer and search-and-rescue pioneer Nasuh Mahruki over a social media post alleging that a failed coup in Turkey in 2016 was knowingly allowed to proceed. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul said Thursday that it had opened an investigation and ordered Mahruki’s detention for allegedly “inciting the […] The post Turkish rescue group founder detained over post questioning official account of 2016 coup attempt appeared fi...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government turned a failed military uprising into the founding event of a new political order, using the events of July 15, 2016, to justify emergency powers, mass dismissals and prosecutions before completing Turkey’s transition from a parliamentary government to an executive presidency, Turkish Minute reported. The official account blamed the faith-based Gülen […] The post Erdoğan’s coup crackdown remade Turkey. Ten years later, testimony points to his own military ch...