Turkey Weekly 26 – 31 August 2024
Turkey Today – 31.08.2024
Lawyers have been banned for union leaders and miners who were detained while marching in support of laid-off miners in Soma.
Turkish authorities impose a broadcast ban on news about missing 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır (Amed) as eight arrests are made in connection with her disappearance.
82-year-old ill prisoner Makbule Özer was left at the prison gate in the morning without informing them, her son Medeni Özer said.
Saturday Mothers reiterated their demand for justice on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, stating that enforced disappearance is a shame of humanity.
Turkey Today – 30.08.2024
Yesterday, the Iraqi army shot down a Turkish armed drone over the city of Kirkuk, causing it to crash into a nearby residential area.
Gezi prisoner Tayfun Kahraman was subjected to handcuff torture during a hospital visit for a check-up for Multiple sclerosis.
Bekir Yollu, an ill prisoner of 30 years in Kırşehir Prison, was prevented from being released for the second time on the grounds that he was not in “good behavior” despite completing his sentence.
Dilruba Kayserilioğlu, who was arrested on Aug 12 after expressing her opinion during a vox pop about a recent ban on Instagram, has been released.
Turkey Today – 29.08.2024
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hopes to make progress on improving Ankara’s rocky ties with the European Union when he attends a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels for the first time in five years.
Zeki Binbir from Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) stated that the application of 1,330 lawyers to the Ministry of Justice requesting a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan has still not been responded to.
DEM Party MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu visited Emine Şenyaşar, who continues her struggle for justice, and asked Numan Kurtulmuş, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, “Stand by your mother. Why are you silent?”
Seriously ill prisoner Mehmet Emin Çam, who underwent angioplasty after a heart attack, was found to have a brain tumor and cysts in his kidneys, is not being given his medication. His daughter Şimal Çam stated that her father is being dragged to death.
A 16-year-old child is facing a lawsuit over “insulting the President”.
Turkey Today – 28.08.2024
31 prisoners in Şakran Women’s Closed Prison were sentenced to a one-month communication and visitation ban.
The indictment against journalist Zeynep Kuray on charges of “making illegal organization propaganda” based on her online media posts was accepted by the court.
Search efforts for 8-year-old Narin Güran, who went missing on Aug. 21 after leaving a Quran course in Turkey’s Diyarbakır province, continued into their seventh day.
Workers at a CarrefourSA warehouse have been protesting for better working conditions and the reinstatement of their colleagues. Six workers were detained by the police and subjected to degrading treatment.
Turkey Today – 27.08.2024
Lawyers from the Asrın Law Office have made a new application for a meeting with their client Abdullah Öcalan, whom they have not heard from for 42 months.
Prisoners Enes İlgen and Serdar Başaran in Bafra Type T Prison were sentenced to 11 days in solitary cell for Kurdish poems and songs in their notebooks.
70 miners from the Independent Mine Workers Union, who were laid off by FERNAS Mining, protesting in Soma district of Manisa were detained.
President Erdoğan has filed a lawsuit against CHP MP Özkan, demanding to be paid 250,000 liras in compensation for non-pecuniary damages. Özkan called Erdoğan “snob” in a social media post.
Turkey Today – 26.08.2024
The family of prisoner Abdulkadir Bozkurt, who says he was beaten in prison, has filed a complaint against the guards.
The administration of Boğaziçi University has appointed as assistant secretariat a trustee of the Ensar Foundation, known for its involvement in a child abuse scandal in central Turkey. The new hire also served under an AKP mayor between 2019 and 2024.
Families held a justice vigil after three defendants were acquitted in the Furkan Apartment case, where 51 people died in the Feb. 6 earthquakes. Protesters condemned the ruling and demanded the arrest of fugitive contractors responsible for the deaths.
Emine Şenyaşar, who underwent surgery over the weekend, came to Parliament as soon as she was discharged from the hospital to continue her struggle.
Turkey Weekly 19 – 25 August 2024
Turkey Today – 25.08.2024
Syria’s President Essad said there had been no progress in the rapprochement talks with Turkey.
CPT Member Kameran Osman stated that a fire broke out in 5 villages in the Federated Kurdistan Region as a result of the attack by Turkish drones and 2,400 acres of land were burnt to ashes.
An investigation has been launched against the chief warden who tortured prisoners in Kocaeli Type F Closed Prison No. 2 as a result of the initiative of Association of Lawyers for Freedom.
Turkey Today – 24.08.2024
CHP municipal council member dies five days after being attacked.
Saturday Mothers gathered at Galatasaray Square in week 1013 to ask for the fate of Mehmet Yaşar, who disappeared after being detained on 28.02.2024.
Abdulkadir Bozkurt, a prisoner who has been threatened with death, said he was beaten twice by 10 guards in front of cameras and called for sensitivity.
Ferhat Önkol, a prisoner transferred from Adana Kürkçüler Type F Prison to Konya Ereğli High Security Prison against his will, stated that he was held in a cell in the same corridor with FETÖ members.
Turkey Today – 23.08.2024
Turkey bombed a vehicle carrying journalists in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In the attack 2 journalists were killed and 6 journalists were wounded.
Three men were arrested in Balıkesir for ‘listening to Kurdish music’. The detainees were reportedly not able to obtain medical reports to document the injuries they sustained while being taken into custody.
Muzaffer İşnaz, who went for an open visit to his son in Erzincan Type L Prison, stated that they were forced to “speak Turkish” by the guards.
The Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) has found a prison administration at fault for not fulfilling inmate M.T.’s transfer request to a non-smoking ward. Admin has stated that overcrowding led to them placing smokers with non-smokers.
A court rejected the Health Ministry’s application against the family who did not allow doctors to conduct heel prick test to their newborn baby, citing the writings of “Islamic alternative medic” and criticizing “the hegemony of the WHO.”
Turkey Today – 22.08.2024
Turkey’s Armed Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) bombed a building belonging to the Internal Security Forces in Northern Syria’s Qamişlo.
Although Ataş Göbe, a 30-year prisoner in Bolu Type F Prison, completed his execution on June 2, his release was prevented for 3 months because he refused to accept the “remorse” imposition.
DEM Party Group Deputy Chairs Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and Sezai Temelli have asked Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç about the non-release of seriously ill prisoners Ergin Aktaş and Abdulkadir Kuday.
Folk singer Suavi’s Victory Day concert planned to be held in Konya province was canceled by the CHP municipality after the threats of Gray Wolves. The far-right group had also raided the singer’s previous concert and shouted threats.
Turkey Today – 21.08.2024
The Parliament has rejected former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu’s application to have his legislative immunity lifted upon allegations of involvement with crime syndicates. Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş held that necessary conditions for an immunity lift have not arisen in Soylu’s case.
CHP chair Özgür Özel shared the x-ray film of his broken foot after the conspiratorial allegations that he was shot or fell while drunk.
The Education Ministry has requested that 30 schools in six different provinces with non-Turkish names be renamed in Turkish.
Turkey Today – 20.08.2024
It was reported that Turkey bombarded two districts in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with UCAVs in the morning hours.
DEM Party MP Ömer Öcalan has applied to the Presidency of the Republic for a meeting with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Ebuzeyid Gülsün, a man who raped and brutalized a child in Küçükçekmece for 3 years, was released by a court order. The child’s relative F. called for solidarity against the release of the perpetrator.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus called the Şenyaşar family, who started a sit-in in front of the Parliament demanding justice, claiming that the sit-in would damage the reputation of Parliament.
Turkey Today – 19.08.2024
Government’s ally, MHP leader Bahçeli has praised the ruling AKP lawmakers for attacking the opposition lawmakers in an extraordinary session.
Mustafa Can Ekiciler, a CHP municipal council member in Tekirdağ’s Süleymanpaşa Municipality, was shot in the face after a quarrel and severely injured.
The Anagold company, responsible for the deaths of nine miners at a gold mine in Erzincan province, has laid off 187 workers citing “financial difficulties.”
The health minister has confirmed that there have been no reported cases of Mpox, also known as monkeypox, in Turkey.
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Turkey Weekly 12 – 17 August 2024
Turkey Today – 17.08.2024
Saturday Mothers/People gathered at Galatasaray Square to ask for the fate of Abdurrahim Demir and to reiterate their demand for justice for those forcibly disappeared.
The release of ill prisoner Naif İşçi deateined in 2010 and sentenced to 24 years in prison was postponed for the 5th time.
Former football player AKP deputy Alpay Özalan, who came to the agenda with his attacks on opposition deputies in the parliament, has a history of violence. Elected for 2 terms as an AKP deputy, Özalan’s record in Parliament is full of zeros.
Turkey Today – 16.08.2024
Ahmet Şık was attacked by AKP deputy Alpay Özalan while speaking at the session on imprisoned MP Can Atalay. Özalan’s fist hit DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit. Koçyiğit’s eyebrow was injured during the fight.
Turkey and Iraq have signed a memorandum of understanding on military, security, and counter-terrorism cooperation, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
President Erdoğan dismissed the General Director of Security, the General Commander of the Gendarmerie, and the police chiefs of 23 provinces, along with the gendarmerie commanders of 41 provinces. He also appointed new rectors to 13 universities.
DEM Party MP Beritan Güneş Altan has brought the torture of prisoners in Kocaeli Prison to the Human Rights Commission and demanded that the commission urgently convene and visit the prison. Lawyers from ÖHD, who met with prisoners in Kocaeli Type F Closed Prison No 2, pointed out that prisoners were subjected to violence and stated that they will follow the process.
Turkey Today – 15.08.2024
A prisoner in Tekirdağ Prison stated that he was threatened with death by the prison director, chief wardens and psychologist, while DEM Party MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu stated that a prisoner was beaten in Kocaeli Type F Closed Prison No. 2.
The release of Soydan Akay, a prisoner of 31 years held in solitary confinement in Marmara Closed Prison, was prevented for the 3rd time for 6 months on the grounds that “he is making organizational communications”.
Prisoner Şehriban Mimkara, who has larynx cancer, has not been taken to the hospital for 5 months. Her lawyer Gül Fehime Binici stated that the cancer has spread and that the practice is arbitrary.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister spoke on the Instagram ban, saying he “received way less outcry than he expected.”
AKP celebrated its 23rd anniversary. “(Our) years have been recorded as the brightest period in the history of the Republic,” President Erdoğan said in a celebration event.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı stated that municipalities refusing to implement the law that paves the way for the mass killing of stray animals would face legal consequences.
Turkey Today – 14.08.2024
In Urfa’s Siverek district weddings now only take place under the control of the Turkish police. According to reports, the police even decide which songs are played.
Suleyman Sabri Mavi, 75, who is bedridden and had a heart attack during detention, was arrested on the grounds of his finalized prison sentence.
Medine Esmer, mother of İmran Esmer, who is being held in solitary confinement in Suluca High Security Prison No 1, applied to IHD due to her concerns about her son’s condition.
The Religious Affairs Directorate announced that Instagram removed some posts of their head Ali Erbaş, criticizing Israel.
The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has officially annulled its sister city agreement with Tel Aviv. The decision was made unanimously during the city council’s regular August meeting.
Turkey Today – 13.08.2024
The Parliament will summon on Aug. 16 during its recess to discuss the deputyship of jailed Gezi prisoner Can Atalay.
Many people were detained in house raids in many cities, especially in Diyarbakir and Istanbul.
Zin Bayar said that her imprisoned son Yaşar Bayar is at risk of losing his eyesight and demanded that her son to be treated.
A court has arrested a woman in the İzmir province over her comments during a street interview criticizing the government’s Instagram ban.
Turkey Today – 12.08.2024
14 institutions and 391 individuals have released a solidarity message for Armenian citizen Garo Kaprielyan who was subjected to a racist attack, and announced that they have launched a petition campaign against racism.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler stated that normalization efforts with Syria could happen if suitable conditions were met. He also expressed that Turkey’s priority was “fulfilling its duties as a NATO member.”
Lawyer Fadıl Tay, who visited Şırnak Type T Closed Prison, shared that prisoners were forbidden from hugging their family members and speaking Kurdish on the phone.
Lawyer Ahmet Atış was not allowed to meet with his client after he objected to a body search at Antalya Type S Closed Prison. Atış said the practice was against the law.
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Turkey Weekly 5 – 11 August 2024
Turkey Today – 11.08.2024
Turkey and affiliated paramilitary groups bombarded three villages in Minbic/Syria with heavy weapons.
Residents of the region, who are protesting against the mining project to be implemented in Diyarbakır, emphasized that they will not allow the project that will destroy their living spaces.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced that the government lifted the access ban on Instagram that was imposed on Aug. 2.
Turkey Today – 10.08.2024
In the 1011th week of their protests, Saturday Mothers asked for the fate of Ferhat Tepe, Özgür Gündem newspaper reporter who was murdered in custody 31 years ago.
IHD Istanbul Branch Chair Gülseren Yoleri emphasized that the “violation” verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Abdullah Öcalan must be implemented and the execution law must be changed.
Lawyers groups visited the Batman closed prison to report human rights violations experienced by the group of youths arrested for dancing to Kurdish music. The group was strip searched and forced to listen to nationalistic marches as punishment.
Young people who were banned from speaking Kurdish at the company they worked for in Bodrum quit their jobs. The young people stated that they will file a complaint against the company for underpaying them.
The release of ill prisoner Mehmet Kınat from Patnos Type L Closed Prison was postponed for 3 months on the grounds that he was not in “good behavior”.
Turkey Today – 08.08.2024
Yesterday, Turkey submitted its bid to the International Court of Justice for the case launched by South Africa against Israel for committing genocide in Gaza.
DEM Party MP Beritan Güneş, who prepared a report on Kocaeli Prison No 2, pointed out that prisoners were prevented from dental treatment.
Parliament’s Digital Media Commission head, AKP MP Yayman has demanded an access ban to be imposed on TikTok, arguing that he is not seeing TikTok “as a space of freedom,” but rather “a space that is completely alienated from human values.”
A court has blocked access to the online gaming platform Roblox. The move is the latest in a string of access bans issued by Turkey, following Wattpad and Instagram.
Turkey Today – 07.08.2024
The Ministry of Defense announced that Infantry Sergeant Habip Alp lost his life in the Federated Kurdistan Region.
Turkey’s Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) drew attention to the Aydın E Type Prison for its overcapacity and a workshop-turned-ward. While the 495-capacity of the prison has been increased to 1,000, there are 1,371 inmates at the facility.
Manavgat Type S Closed Prison prevented prisoner Tuba Sert from taking a photo with her family during an open visit.
Şeyhmus Uçar, MHP municipal council member, threatened CHP Adana province’s Seyhan District Mayor Oya Tekin by stating he would “bring the members of the Grey Wolves” to the municipality.
Sixty-one bar associations across Turkey have issued a joint statement urging the government to lift the recently imposed access ban on Instagram.
Turkey Today – 06.08.2024
Since yesterday three Turkish drone strikes hit Northern Syria. In addition to two SDF bases, a water well was affected.
5 people, including DEM Party district co-chairs, were detained on the grounds that they were dancing the halay to Kurdish music at a wedding in Osmaniye.
Medine Kaymaz, the mother of prisoner Bayram Kaymaz said that the call was cut off as soon as she spoke Kurdish on the phone with her son.
Instagram officials were scheduled to hold second talks with the Turkish government following the recent blockage of the social media platform, announced Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
Turkey Today – 05.08.2024
President Erdoğan defended the restriction of access to Instagram, saying, “We are facing a digital fascism.”
While a military operation has been launched in Şırnak’s Beytüşşebap countryside, it has been reported that 3 villages are under blockade.
The Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon. The situation in the country is expected to deteriorate rapidly, said the ministry.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that “729 thousand out of 3 million 103 thousand Syrians could not be found at their declared address.
Turkey Weekly 1 – 4 August 2024
Turkey Today – 04.08.2024
CHP MP Melih Meriç was attacked with a gun during a rally organized by his party in Antep.
The police have once again detained members of the 1,000 Youth for Palestine Initiative who were protesting against the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which supplies oil to Israel.
AKP Deputy Chair Ali İhsan Yavuz has argued that President Erdoğan “risked death while expanding freedoms” in the country, such as lifting the ban on headscarves or converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Turkey Today – 03.08.2024
AKP MP Vahit Kirişci criticized animal rights advocates by using the assassination of Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh. “Those who do not condemn Haniyeh’s death have no right to speak of dog love,” he argued.
AKP MP and Turkey’s Council of Europe representative Tuğrul Türkeş has visited Gezi prisoners Osman Kavala, Can Atalay, Çiğdem Mater, Tayfun Kahraman, and Mine Özerden. “They are all in high spirits, I didn’t see any of them down,” he commented.
The investigation into the attack on the police checkpoint at the Istanbul Courthouse has been completed. The indictment requested up to 15 years in prison for 19 people.
A lawsuit was filed against 6 rangers who refused to take part in the attacks in the Federated Kurdistan Region of Turkey despite pressure and threats.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, from the main opposition CHP, protested the government’s recent Instagram ban on a live Instagram broadcast. He deemed the restriction “a banal, pointless, and powerless executives’ procedure.”
Turkey Today – 02.08.2024
Turkey’s Constitutional Court’s (AYM) website became inaccessible after it published its ruling on Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, cancelling certain powers that could “interfere with freedom of expression and freedom of the press.” The court deleted the decision that it published on its social media account less than an hour later.
The Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) has blocked access to Instagram as of August 2 for “criminal content”.
Following the instructions of the Ministry of Interior, the “Pedestrian First” warning signs in Kurdish on pedestrian crossings in Şırnak’s Cizre district were removed.
A cement factory was destroyed in a Turkish drone attack in northern Syria.
EMEP Antep MP Sevda Karaca has applied to the Ministry of Justice for the release of seriously ill prisoner Mehmet Güvel.
Turkey Today – 01.08.2024
The Constitutional Court ruled that the parliament’s decision to strip jailed opposition MP Can Atalay’s lawmaker status was unlawful.
15 bar associations reacted to the removal of Kurdish traffic warnings and said, “This unfortunate approach is another expression of the intolerance towards the existence and language of millions of Kurds living in our country.”
7 people were detained in Diyarbakır’s Dicle district for performing a halay accompanied by Kurdish songs.
Media watchdog RTÜK imposed sanctions on subscription-based streaming platforms Netflix, MUBI, and BluTV for the animated mini-series “Sausage Party: Foodtopia” and Gaspar Noé’s “Climax,” removing the content from the services’ catalogs