Turkey Human Rights Dispatch
Welcome to “Turkey Human Rights Dispatch,” the Stockholm Center for Freedom’s (SCF) weekly newsletter. Every Wednesday we share with you the latest developments in the area of human rights in Turkey. As the Turkish government continues its crackdown on media and civil society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to learn about human rights violations in the mainstream media. We aim to highlight rights violations and give voice to victims from all walks of life during this difficult period.
Turkey ranks 117th among 142 countries in global rule of law index
Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the rule of law index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) on Wednesday, dropping one rank in comparison to last year. More..
Lower court in Turkey refuses to release opposition MP from prison despite top court ruling A high criminal court in İstanbul has failed to comply with a recent ruling from Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which found rights violations in the continued incarceration of an opposition lawmaker, despite calls for his release. More..
Turkish ministry handed over kidnapped Yazidi child to ISIL-linked family that sold her
The Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Services last year handed over a kidnapped Yazidi child to a family associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group that had listed her for sale on the dark web. More..
Kidnapped Yazidi child put back under state protection after outrage A kidnapped Yazidi child who last year was handed over by the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Services to a family associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group has been placed under state protection again following a news report revealing her ordeal, which led to outrage. More..
Turkish court hands down suspended sentence to singer on insult charges
An İstanbul court hearing a retrial has handed down a suspended sentence of more than two years to singer Atilla Taş on conviction of insulting a public official and denigrating the police and the military. More..
Kurdish politician in Turkey kept in jail despite eligibility for release Gültan Kışanak, a Kurdish politician and the former co-mayor of Diyarbakır incarcerated in Turkey, is being denied release by the authorities despite her eligibility to be freed. More..
Prison in northwestern Turkey operating at 300 percent capacity
An opposition lawmaker in Turkey has announced that a prison in Edirne is holding 1,800 inmates even though its capacity is 600, forcing some 650 prisoners to sleep on the floor. More..
Turkish intelligence informed Erdoğan about corruption in the judiciary: report A report by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) on corruption in the Turkish judiciary was presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan prior to an exposé by the İstanbul chief public prosecutor about bribery, nepotism and other irregularities in the country’s judicial system. More..
Turkish prosecutor seeks 15 years in prison for Kurdish journalist accused of terrorism
A prosecutor in Diyarbakır has requested up to 15 years in prison for Beritan Canözer, a journalist accused of membership in a terrorist organization due to her involvement in pro-Kurdish media. More..
Top court says Turkish judiciary made best efforts to investigate Khashoggi murder Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which has announced its reasoned opinion for rejecting an application filed by the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said Turkey did its best to investigate the murder and bring its perpetrators to justice. More..
Access bans imposed on news reports mostly about Erdoğan, family in 2022: report
Turkish authorities banned access to more than 40,000 URLs in 2022, with news reports about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family at the top of the list. More..
A Swedish-based, non-profit advocacy organization, Stockholm Center for Freedom promotes the rule of law, democracy and human rights with a special focus on Turkey. Committed to serving as a reference source by providing a broad perspective on rights violations in Turkey, SCF monitors daily developments, documents individual cases of the infringement of fundamental rights and publishes comprehensive reports on human rights issues.SCF is a member of the Alliance Against Genocide, an international coalition working to exert pressure on the UN, regional organizations and national governments to act on early warning signs and take action to prevent genocide.
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