Turkey’s parliament has received requests seeking to lift the legislative immunity of 12 lawmakers, including Özgür Özel, leader of the country’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to parliamentary records. The speaker’s office referred 14 files to a joint committee made up of members of parliament’s Constitution and Justice committees. The number of files […] The post Turkish Parliament receives requests to lift immunity of 12 lawmakers, including opposition leader ap...

A Turkish court on Friday handed down an 11-month suspended sentence to a young activist on charges of publicly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by chanting a slogan during a rally, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) reported. The İstanbul 27th Criminal Court of First Instance convicted Yunus Kılıç but suspended the sentence, meaning […] The post Young activist gets suspended sentence on conviction of insulting Erdoğan appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey has become both a refuge for journalists fleeing conflicts in the region and a source of media exile as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expands its campaign against independent reporting, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Friday. At least 46 journalists forced to leave Afghanistan, Palestine or Syria have settled in Turkey since […] The post Turkey shelters foreign journalists while driving its own reporters into exile: RSF appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fre...

Turkey’s European Union membership talks cannot resume without concrete democratic progress, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey said at a Wednesday press conference. Nacho Sánchez Amor, the Spanish lawmaker who leads the European Parliament’s reporting on Turkey, said the EU faces a difficult balance: Turkey remains an important neighbor and partner, but its democratic backsliding […] The post EP rapporteur says Turkey’s membership talks cannot resume without democratic progress a...

A Turkish court has acquitted a noncommissioned gendarmerie officer in the case of an 18-month-old toddler who was killed when a tear gas canister struck him in the head on the balcony of his home in southeastern Turkey in 2009, the Mezopotamya news agency reported. The Cizre 4th Criminal Court of First Instance ruled at […] The post Turkish court acquits gendarmerie sergeant in case of toddler killed by tear gas canister appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

An opposition lawmaker in the Turkish Parliament has asked the interior minister whether police officers, other public officials or people connected to state institutions played a role in the abduction of an executive at an opposition-run İstanbul municipal company, raising questions about a possible enforced disappearance if state involvement is established. Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a […] The post Lawmaker raises possibility of enforced disappearance after abduction of İstanbul municipal exe...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Turkey violated the rights of veteran journalist Tuncer Çetinkaya by holding him in pretrial detention without sufficient justification for nearly two years over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement. The court found violations of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects […] The post ECtHR faults Turkey over pretrial detention of veteran journalist Çetinkaya appeared first on Stockholm Cente...

A former judge at Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals who spent nearly eight years in prison has alleged that prison guards beat him in a room outside camera view and that his rights complaint over the incident has remained unaddressed for six years, the TR724 news website reported. Hüsamettin Uğur, a former member of the […] The post Former Turkish top appeals court judge says prison abuse complaint has gone unanswered for 6 years appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Syrian migrant women, children and LGBTQ+ people in Istanbul are facing growing barriers to health care, education and legal protection as fears of deportation and pressure to return home deepen insecurity among migrants, a Turkish migrant solidarity group said in a new report. The report by Göçmen Mülteci Dayanışma Ağı (Migrant Refugee Solidarity Network) says […] The post Report says Syrian migrants in Istanbul face growing barriers to basic services appeared first on Stockholm Center for F...

A Turkish court has arrested Bora Balcıoğlu, the mayor of İstanbul’s Silivri district, and nine others as part of a corruption investigation into the opposition-run district municipality, while prosecutors launched or expanded separate operations targeting two other Republican People’s Party (CHP)-controlled municipalities in İstanbul and Antalya, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency. A […] The post Turkey arrests another opposition mayor as probes into CHP-run municipalities ...

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Ministers has renewed its call for the immediate release of jailed former pro-Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ as well as businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, expressing concern over Turkey’s continued failure to implement European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings. The calls came during the committee’s June […] The post Council of Europe renews call for release of Demirtaş, Yüksekdağ and Kavala appeared first o...

Former Constitutional Court president Haşim Kılıç has warned that foreign investors will avoid Turkey unless they can trust its courts, citing the detention of the head of the country’s top business group while the government was trying to attract investment from abroad, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Karar daily. Speaking at a conference organized by […] The post Former top court president says Turkey cannot attract investment without trust in judiciary appeared first on Stockholm Cente...

A group of 24 miners in northwestern Turkey remained underground Monday on the 26th day of a protest over unpaid wages, overtime and severance payments, Turkish Minute reported. The miners are some 1,200 meters underground at a coal mine operated by Özşen Madencilik in Uzunköprü, a district of Edirne province. They began a hunger strike […] The post Turkish miners remain underground on 26th day of unpaid wage protest appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has vowed to have all stray dogs in Turkey rounded up and placed in shelters by the end of the year, signaling an accelerated push to enforce a controversial law that animal rights groups say could result in mass killings. Çiftçi made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation […] The post Turkey’s interior minister vows to put all stray dogs in shelters by year-end appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkish police on Friday detained the mayor of İstanbul’s Silivri district, run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and 16 others as part of a corruption investigation. Silivri Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu, municipal officials and businesspeople were detained in simultaneous operations carried out by the financial crimes police early Friday in an investigation launched […] The post CHP mayor among 17 detained in corruption operation targeting İstanbul district municipality appeare...

Turkey’s interior ministry has opened an inquiry into allegations made by the jailed executive of an İstanbul municipality-owned company that she was subjected to a strip-search and threatened through her children while in custody, two days after the İstanbul Police Department denied the claims. The ministry said in a statement Friday that Interior Minister Mustafa […] The post Turkey opens inquiry after jailed İstanbul municipality executive alleges strip-search in police custody appeared fi...

The wife of a police officer dismissed as part of Turkey’s post-2016 coup purge has described years of raising three children alone while facing poverty, social isolation and family estrangement. In an interview on KHK TV, a YouTube channel that features the stories of people dismissed by emergency decrees, Ayşe Sağlam described what she called a ”civil death” […] The post Wife of purged Turkish police officer recounts years of isolation, hardship appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A leaked Turkish government document obtained by Nordic Monitor reveals that Turkish intelligence operatives conducted surveillance activities in France to collect information on a group critical of the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Nordic Monitor reported. The document, prepared by two officials identified only by their badge numbers, shows that Turkish operatives monitored […] The post Turkish spies gather intelligence in French city near German border, document reveals ...

The European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, Nacho Sánchez Amor, has expressed deep concern over allegations made in court by a jailed executive at an Istanbul municipality-owned company that she was strip-searched and threatened with losing custody of her children while in police custody. In a series of posts on X, Amor said he was deeply affected […] The post EP rapporteur voices concern over jailed Istanbul municipality executive’s strip-search allegations appeared first on Stockholm Cente...

Turkey accounted for 40.6 percent of all applications pending before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) at the end of May, with 23,050 cases awaiting a decision, the court’s latest figures showed. The Strasbourg court said the total number of applications awaiting examination by judges stood at 56,800 as of May 31. Turkey ranked first among […] The post Turkey tops ECtHR docket with 23,050 pending applications appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Durmuş Zorlu, a 54-year-old former police officer imprisoned over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, died of a heart attack in İzmir’s Kırıklar Prison on Thursday, the TR724 news website reported. Zorlu reportedly collapsed in the prison courtyard shortly before a football match after saying he did not want to play. He could not be revived, […] The post Former police officer jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fre...

The Turkish government is tightening its grip on the opposition, with new detentions on Friday targeting elected officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as it faces a deepening leadership crisis. The detentions, along with a court-appointed intervention in Turkey’s oldest political party, have raised serious concerns about the state of democracy and […] The post Fresh detentions target Turkey’s opposition-run municipalities appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fre...

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a former teacher’s terrorism conviction violated his right to a fair trial because lower courts relied mainly on allegations that he used ByLock, an encrypted messaging app Turkish authorities link to the faith-based Gülen movement, without explaining how that proved membership in an armed terrorist organization. According to the […] The post Turkey’s Constitutional Court faults Gülen-linked conviction based mainly on ByLock app use appeared first ...

A social media campaign has called for the release of Abdullah Tırpan, a 74-year-old critically ill inmate imprisoned over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, amid warnings from relatives and rights advocates that his deteriorating condition poses an imminent risk to his life. The hashtag “#AbdullahTırpan AcilTahliye” (Emergency Release for Abdullah Tırpan) began trending […] The post Social media campaign urges release of critically ill Turkish inmate appeared first on Stockholm...

Berlin’s domestic intelligence agency says Turkey’s spy service is active in the German capital and seeks tips from pro-government members of the Turkish diaspora on supporters of the Gülen movement. The finding, published in the agency’s 2025 annual report, gives official weight to longstanding fears among Turkish dissidents in Germany that Ankara’s surveillance of its […] The post Berlin intelligence agency says Turkish spy service targets Gülen movement appeared first on Stockholm Center f...

A delegation from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has reported overcrowding, obstacles to medical care and limits on social contact in prisons in the Black Sea region, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency. The delegation, comprising DEM Party lawmakers Nevroz Uysal, Sabahat Erdoğan Sarıtaş, Ömer Faruk Hülakü and Onur […] The post DEM Party delegation reports overcrowding, medical care problems in Turkish prisons appeared first on Stockhol...

Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained human rights defender Mehmet Acettin, co-owner of the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), on accusations of financing a terrorist organization, the Bianet news website reported. Acettin was taken into custody as part of an investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into allegations that funds were channeled through the […] The post Turkey detains human rights defender in terrorism financing investigation appeared first on Stockholm Ce...

Turkish police detained 15 people, including the deputy mayor of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run Seferihisar Municipality in the western province of İzmir, as part of a bribery investigation, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Bianet news website. The operation, overseen by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, was carried out simultaneously in İzmir […] The post 15 detained in bribery probe into CHP-run municipality in western Turkey appeared first on Stockholm...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has communicated to the Turkish government questions regarding applications alleging rights violations in the conviction of former Air Force Academy cadets and a military officer over their alleged involvement in a coup attempt in 2016. The court asked whether Turkish courts had provided individualized reasons for the convictions […] The post ECtHR seeks Turkey’s response on alleged rights violations in convictions of military cadets, officer in 2016...

Private school teachers and teacher candidates seeking public school jobs began a hunger strike in Ankara on Monday after police broke up two protests, Turkish Minute reported, citing the T24 news website. The protest brought together two groups with separate grievances. Private school teachers are demanding better pay, job security and a base salary, while […] The post Teachers launch hunger strike in Ankara after police break up protests appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey will update and resubmit extradition requests for people accused of links to the faith-based Gülen movement, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has said, signaling a renewed push to secure the return of government critics and alleged movement members from abroad nearly a decade after a failed coup in July 2016, Turkish Minute reported. In remarks […] The post Turkey seeks renewed extradition push against Gülen-linked people despite past rejections appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

The mother of a 9-month-old infant detained in İzmir over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement has been jailed following a court order for her arrest, despite raising concerns during her testimony about her child’s medical condition, the TR724 news website reported. Rümeysa Şanal, 31, was questioned by the police over a 2024 trip […] The post Mother breastfeeding 9-month-old baby sent to prison over alleged Gülen links appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

At least 212 people died in work-related incidents across Turkey in May, bringing the death toll for the first five months of 2026 to 835, according to a new report by the Health and Safety Labour Watch Turkey (İSİG). Agriculture and forestry accounted for the highest number of deaths with 48, followed by construction with 38 and […] The post At least 212 workers died in Turkey in May, annual toll hits 835 appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A European Parliament report scheduled for a vote on June 17 will urge the European Union to consider targeted human rights sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek over his role in politically sensitive prosecutions, Turkish Minute reported. Vladimir Prebilič, a Slovenian member of the Greens/European Free Alliance and a shadow rapporteur for the report, […] The post European Parliament to urge EU sanctions on Turkey’s justice minister: MEP appeared first on Stockholm Center fo...

A Turkish court jailed 33 female students pending trial on charges of alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement after they were detained in an İzmir-based investigation, the TR724 news website reported. The students were among 78 people detained in police operations across 12 provinces. The operations covered İzmir, Adana, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bilecik, Denizli, Düzce, […] The post Turkish court jails 33 female students over alleged Gülen links appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Belgian appeals court has recognized a former teacher from Turkey as a refugee, ruling that his past ties to the faith-based Gülen movement and Turkey’s continuing crackdown on the group establish a risk of prosecution even when an applicant has no existing arrest warrant, active investigation or prior detention. The Council for Alien Law […] The post Past Gülen ties, not only arrest warrants, can prove risk in Turkey sufficient for asylum: Belgian court appeared first on Stockholm Center f...

The total assets of private companies placed under the management of Turkey’s state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) have surged more than fourfold in one year, reflecting a sharp expansion in the number and scale of businesses brought under court-appointed trusteeship during criminal investigations, the Bold Medya news website reported. The TMSF managed companies with […] The post Turkey’s state trustee fund nears $20 billion in assets as company takeovers expand appeared first on S...

A Turkish court has acquitted five men accused of killing two Kurdish youths and wounding another during the 2014 Kobani protests in southeastern Turkey, sparking criticism from rights advocates over the 12-year delay in the case and the court’s refusal to collect additional evidence. According to the NûMedya24 news website, the Midyat High Criminal Court […] The post Turkish court acquits suspects in killing of 2 Kurdish youths during 2014 Kobani protests appeared first on Stockholm Center f...

Thirty Iranian seasonal workers, including women, were allegedly beaten in Turkey’s northeastern Rize province after demanding unpaid wages, the Birgün daily reported, citing the ANKA news agency. The workers who had traveled to the Çayeli district for a 15-day tea harvest were allegedly housed in poor conditions at an industrial site and paid 1,100 lira […] The post Iranian seasonal workers in Turkey allegedly beaten after demanding unpaid wages appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Turkey violated the rights of prominent Kurdish politicians Gültan Kışanak and Sebahat Tuncel in their 2016 pretrial detention on terrorism-related charges, finding that prosecutors failed to establish reasonable suspicion or provide sufficient grounds to keep them behind bars. In a judgment made public on Tuesday, nearly nine […] The post Top European court faults Turkey over detention of 2 Kurdish politicians appeared first on Stockh...

The mayor of the western Turkish province of İzmir, long seen as the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) strongest electoral stronghold, resigned from the party on Thursday, saying he could no longer continue his political struggle under a party leadership installed by a court ruling. Cemil Tugay, who heads Turkey’s third-largest city of 4.5 […] The post Mayor of CHP stronghold İzmir quits party over court-ordered leadership change appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Turkey has blocked access to Change.org, a global online petition platform widely used for digital signature campaigns on social, political and rights-related issues, according to an announcement by a digital rights monitoring group. The Freedom of Expression Association’s (İFÖD) EngelliWeb project, which tracks online censorship in Turkey, said the platform had been blocked by a […] The post Turkey blocks access to global petition platform Change.org appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fr...

The Turkish presidency’s Directorate of Communications has revoked the press card of journalist İsmail Arı, citing a criminal record that official documents show does not exist, the Birgün daily reported. According to Arı, officials from the directorate informed him verbally that his press card had been revoked on March 21, coinciding with the day he […] The post Turkish presidency revokes journalist’s press card over nonexistent criminal record appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A former English teacher dismissed in Turkey’s post-coup purge has recounted years of imprisonment, deteriorating health and family estrangement, including four years in prison without visits or news of his two children. In an interview on KHK TV, a YouTube channel featuring the stories of people dismissed by emergency decrees, Mehmet Hanifi Uzunay described being […] The post Purged Turkish teacher recounts 4 years in prison without news of children appeared first on Stockholm Center for Fre...

Families of people killed when a mob set fire to a hotel in the central Turkish province of Sivas in 1993 have applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), saying Turkey’s Constitutional Court has left their case undecided for 12 years, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Cumhuriyet daily. On July 2, 1993, a […] The post Families of Sivas massacre victims take case to European court after 12-year top court delay appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A Syriac community newspaper in southeastern Turkey has been excluded from a state-administered aid program for minority publications under rules limiting the support to Istanbul-based Armenian, Greek and Jewish newspapers, the Agos news website reported, prompting a lawmaker to allege discriminatory treatment of minority media outside Istanbul. Turkey’s Press Advertisement Agency (BİK), which distributes official […] The post Syriac newspaper in Turkey excluded from minority press aid due to...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is headed for a new leadership fight after supporters of ousted party chairman Özgür Özel submitted petitions Wednesday calling for an extraordinary congress to challenge former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was reinstated by a court ruling in May, Turkish Minute reported, citing Agence France-Presse. An Ankara court annulled […] The post Turkey’s CHP faces fresh leadership fight as ousted chairman pushes new vote appeared first on Sto...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has lost nine lawmakers from its official party rolls after their membership records were deleted from the Supreme Court of Appeals’ political parties registry, Turkish Minute reported, citing Independent Turkish. The move reduces the number of CHP lawmakers from 138 to 129. The lawmakers were referred to the […] The post Turkey’s main opposition CHP loses 9 lawmakers from party rolls amid leadership fight appeared first on Stockholm Ce...

European Parliament (EP) lawmakers from several political groups are seeking sharper criticism of Turkey’s rule-of-law and human rights record before a vote this week on an EP report expected to say Ankara’s European Union accession path remains blocked by democratic backsliding, judicial interference and pressure on the opposition. According to the Bianet news website, the […] The post EP lawmakers push to harden Turkey report over human rights violations and pressure on the opposition appea...

A Turkish court has placed a woman under house arrest for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a street interview in İstanbul, Turkish Minute reported. The woman, identified only by the initials Ş.B, was detained by police following an investigation coordinated by İstanbul’s Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Police accused her of making remarks […] The post Woman put under house arrest over alleged insult of Erdoğan appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

A survey of 1,629 people dismissed from Turkey’s civil service after a July 2016 coup attempt found that nearly two-thirds had been unable to secure a job registered with the social security system, while acquittals often did not end blacklisting or professional exclusion, according to a report released Tuesday. The Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) said […] The post Turkey’s post-coup purge created a decade of ‘civil death,’ rights group says appeared first on Stockholm Center for F...

Nearly four in five children under the age of 6 living with their mothers in Turkish prisons show signs of developmental delay, while more than 81 percent suffer psychological harm, according to a new report by the Vicdan Foundation. The report said children’s needs were largely ignored during detention and judicial proceedings, with 73.1 percent […] The post Children living with mothers in Turkish prisons suffer developmental delays, psychological harm: report appeared first on Stockholm Cen...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will not hold a parliamentary group meeting this week after rival camps led by Özgür Özel and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu canceled planned appearances, stepping back from a possible repeat of last week’s confrontation over who has the authority to address party lawmakers, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news […] The post CHP leadership rivals cancel parliamentary group meetings to avoid new standoff appeared first on Stockholm Center fo...

University student Süeda Güngör, who had been on trial over alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement and had campaigned for the release of her ailing father before his death in prison, has been acquitted by a Turkish court Güngör, 24, announced the ruling of the İzmir 2nd High Criminal Court, saying a “long and […] The post University student known for campaigning for release of her ailing father acquitted in Gülen-linked trial appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I has said minorities in Turkey and Greece should not be treated as hostages to political disputes between the two countries, while expressing hope that a long-closed Greek Orthodox seminary in İstanbul could be allowed to reopen after restoration work is completed in September. In an interview with the Hürriyet daily published […] The post Patriarch Bartholomew says minorities should not be hostages to Turkish-Greek disputes appeared first on Stockholm Center...

Turkish citizens seeking asylum in Europe may face tougher odds under new European Union migration rules that took effect Friday, even as Turkey continues to prosecute people accused of links to the faith-based Gülen movement. The rules expand the use of accelerated and border procedures for applicants from countries whose citizens are considered unlikely to […] The post New EU asylum rules could make it harder for Turkish applicants to win protection amid Gülen crackdown appeared first on St...

Turkey’s broadcast regulator has fined Sözcü TV for airing remarks by the leader of the country’s main opposition party about the justice minister, a sanction that an opposition member of the regulator says amounted to taking sides in a political dispute, Turkish Minute reported. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed a 1 percent […] The post Turkey’s broadcast regulator fines station over main opposition leader’s criticism of justice minister appeared first on Stockholm Cent...

A growing number of Turkish musicians have said they will not allow the court-reinstated leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to use their songs at party events, adding a cultural backlash to the party’s deepening legitimacy crisis, Turkish Minute reported. The objections have come from prominent figures associated with Turkey’s leftist and […] The post Turkish musicians bar court-reinstated CHP leadership from using their songs appeared first on Stockholm Center ...

The resignations mark a new effort by Özel’s supporters to reclaim control of Turkey’s largest opposition party through an internal vote, after a controversial court ruling last month created a dual-power structure in which Kılıçdaroğlu controls party headquarters while Özel retains the support of most CHP lawmakers, Turkish Minute reported. Twenty-eight members of the CHP’s […] The post Allies of ousted CHP leader quit Party Council in bid to force extraordinary congress appeared first on St...

Turkish authorities have authorized an investigation into İzmir Bar Association President Sefa Yılmaz and board members over human rights reports prepared by the bar on alleged prison abuse and their participation in protests following the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, months after they were acquitted in an another official misconduct case. The İzmir Bar […] The post İzmir Bar Association leaders face probe after reporting alleged rights abuses appeared first on Stockholm Center fo...