Turkey Weekly 28 June – 4 July
Turkey Today – 4 July 2021
In the Kobane trial, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested an appeal against the release of 4 HDP politicians.
Hunger strike in Turkish prisons against solitary confinement of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan enters day 220.
65 of the 83 people who were arrested in Diyarbakır on 22 June were taken to prison.
The administration of Bogaziçi University has restricted entrance to the Istanbul institute until Monday, in a move that has left two professors unable to enter campus. Police attacked students who protested the ban.
Covid-19: The Ministry of Health has not yet updated the figures.
Turkey Today – 3 July 2021
The lawyer of dismissed and imprisoned MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu says that the Constitutional Court’s verdict has not been served on him or the local court. However, the press has the document.
Dismissed Co-Mayor of Eğil Municipality in Diyarbakır was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison.
The Saturday Mothers came together in week 849 to ask those responsible for the death of Aydın Ay who disappeared in Batman 28 years ago.
Despite three hospital reports seriously ill prisoner Hakkı Turgay who is imprisoned in Bandırma has not been released.
Covid-19: Figures have not yet been published.
Turkey Today – 2 July 2021
ECtHR finds no rights violations in death fasting lawyers’ case, says they “voluntarily put their lives at risk”.
Turkish prosecutors seek up to four-year jail term for main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in Erdoğan ‘insult’ case through his “so-called president” remark.
Lawyers and family of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan applied to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to meet with their client.
YouTube has removed the video of a speech by Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun due to “hate speech” against Armenians.
Second hearing of the trial where journalists Adnan Bilen, Cemil Uğur, Şehriban Abi, Nazan Sala & Zeynep Durgut face “membership in a terrorist organization” charges was held in Van. Bilen, Uğur, Abi and Sala were arrested on October 9, 2020 and remained in pre-trial detention for almost six months for reporting on the torture and throwing off of Osman Şiban and Servet Turgut from a helicopter by military personnel in Van’s Çatak district. Court reduced Zeynep Durgut’s signature obligation to monthly and ruled for the continuation of the same judicial control on behalf of other defendants. Journos international travel ban also not lifted. Trial adjourned until October.
Covid-19: The figures have not yet been published.
Turkey Today – 1 July 2021
Shortly after CHP and İYİ Party MPs, the HDP MPs have also withdrawn from Turkey’s Parliamentary Commission for Inquiring the Causes of Violence Against Women.
Police intervened against the first Pride March in Eskişehir and detained 30 people.
First hearing of the trial where Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yücel faces “degrading the Turkish Nation and State” and “insulting the President” charges could not be held today since the judge was on leave. The Istanbul court will determine a new date in the coming days.
Trial where journo Caner Taşpınar is accused of insulting former Speaker of the Parliament İsmail Kahraman and AKP MP Ali İhsan Arslan in his book “Son-in-law: Fethullahists’ Fathers in Law from AKP” resumed in İstanbul. The prosecutor, who was assigned to this court a very short time ago, requested extra time to review the file and prepare a final opinion. Court accepted the request, adjourned the trial until October.
Covid-19: 5,288 new infections and 42 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 30 June 2021
Turkey’s Council of State has rejected an appeal seeking the reversal of a presidential decree that pulled the country out of the Istanbul Convention.
Trial where freelance journalist Hayri Demir is accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorist propaganda” charges resumed in Ankara. Evidence presented in the indictment against the journalist includes photos taken while covering news in Syria. Trial adjourned until October.
Appeal hearing of journalists Ömer Çelik, Çağdaş Kaplan, İnan Kizilkaya, Hamza Gündüz, Vahap Taş and Kemal Sancılı, who were acquitted of “identifying officials on anti-terror duty as targets” by a Diyarbakır local court was held today. Journos stood trial for an article about Musa Çitil, Gendermarie Regional Commander of Diyarbakır at the time. Diyarbakır Regional Court’s 2nd Penal Chamber ruled that local court’s decision to acquit the journalists is appropriate and rejected the prosecution’s request for an appeal.
Turkish police detained 20 people at a small Pride march in the capital Ankara.
While the Health Ministry’s coronavirus vaccination campaign is moving apace, the desired vaccination rates have not yet been reached in some cities, especially in Kurdish-majority ones.
Covid-19: The figures have not yet been published.
Turkey Today – 29 June 2021
The prosecutor conducting the investigation into the Şenyaşar Case has been changed again. The new prosecutor appointed to the case is the 8th prosecutor of the case.
Seventh hearing of the trial where Free Journalists Initiative spokesperson Hakkı Boltan is charged with “insulting the president” due to a press statement he made resumed in Diyarbakır. Boltan won’t be attending, as he was exempted from attending the hearings. Court sentences Hakkı Boltan to 1 year 2 months and 17 days in prison for “insulting the President” charges and 10 months in prison for “insulting a public officer” charge for his statements on former PM Ahmet Davutoğlu. Sentences are not deferred.
Third hearing of the re-trial where Azadiya Welat newspaper’s former Managing Editor İsmail Çoban faces “terror propaganda” charges was held in Diyarbakır Çoban is behind bars due to another file against him. Verdict announced: Court sentenced İsmail Çoban to 4 years and 6 months in prison for “making terror propaganda” charges. Çoban was previously handed down a 5-year sentence in this case, which was overturned.
24th hearing of the trial where since shuttered Dicle News Agency’s (DİHA) former reporter Engin Eren faces “membership in a terrorist organization” charges resumed in Batman. Court accepts the prosecution’s request for time to prepare the final opinion as to the accusation, sends the case-file over to the prosecutor’s office for the opinion to be completed. Trial adjourned until October.
Court has lifted the international travel ban on Boğaziçi University students standing trial for carrying rainbow flags.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,846 new infections and 53 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 28 June 2021
Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Ersöz argues that police violence against journalist Bülent Kılıç during the İstanbul #Pride was not “tyranny”. The journalist says the police “tried to leave him breathless by pressing his neck”.
Third hearing of the trial where Yeni Yaşam daily reporter Hatice Şahin faces “membership in a terrorist organization” was held in Diyarbakır. Court ruled to request the indictment and hearing minutes of journalist Kibriye Evren’s trial since her name was mentioned in a secret witness’ statement in this case. Judicial control measures against Şahin are not lifted, trial adjourned until October.
An administrative court in Ankara has stopped the execution of the termination of scholarships and loans of Boğaziçi University students for protesting Melih Bulu, the appointed rector of the university.
Accepting the appeals against the fines on two discharged teachers protesting for their jobs, two judgeships have concluded that abiding by COVID-19 curfews is not an obligation openly regulated by law.
Covid-19: 5,283 new infections and 58 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Weekly 20 – 27 June 2021
Turkey Today – 27 June 2021
Hunger strike in Turkish prisons against solitary confinement of Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan enters day 213.
In Siirt’s Pervari district, soldiers attacked a van carrying 84 refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two people were killed and 12 injured. According to governor’s office the van had ignored a stop order.
The forest fires in Bingöl continue. Local resources report that extinguishing measures are insufficient.
Kanal Istanbul project kicks off with bridge construction despite environmental concerns.
Yeşim Tükel, who was taken into custody during the house raids against the Revolutionary Party on June 22, although no arrest warrant was issued for her, was threatened with rape by special operations police.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 4,883 new infections and 52 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 26 June 2021
Beyza Üstün, İbrahim Binici, Zeki Çelik and Emine Ayna, who were released in the Kobanê Case, were released from prison.
The Saturday Mothers came together in week 848 to ask those responsible for the death of Recep Diker who disappeared in Diyarbakir on 14 September 1994. Diker and his family were forced to leave their village in Diyarbakır’s Silvan district as it was burned down by the Turkish military.
Despite last-minute banning, police attacked of İstanbul 19th LGBTI+ Pride March. Using plastic bullets, police have taken at least six people into custody.
Journalist Bülent Kılıç from AFP was also arrested while following the march. An officer stepped on his throat before detaining him.
Covid-19: 5,266 new infections and 51 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 25 June 2021
Stripped of his MP status and arrested in Sincan Prison in Ankara for 85 days, HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu’s application will be examined and concluded by the Constitutional Court on July 1.
Fourth hearing of the trial where former Exec. Board members of the Diyarbakır Bar Association face “degrading the state” and “provoking the public to hatred and hostility” charges, was adjourned until November 17 due to a change in the panel of judges and the excused absence of the lawyers.
Turkey has shelled the Duhok district of KRI at least 7 times yesterday. According to NRT’s report, 200 sheep died in two separate bombardments against an agricultural facility in Dereşê village.
A court has ordered an access ban on Sedat Peker’s YouTube, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,630 new infections and 56 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 24 June 2021
At least 4 people, including HDP Esenyurt district administrators and Free Women’s Movement (TJA) activists, were detained in house raids in Istanbul early this morning.
HDP Foreign Relations Committee member Nazmi Gür explained that they were subjected to ill-treatment in the Sincan Closed Prison where they were held during the Kobanê Case hearing.
Over 100 university students have scholarships canceled for participating in Boğaziçi protests.
Third hearing of the trial where photographer and poet Mehmet Özer faces “making terror propaganda” charges for six Facebook posts he shared between 2012 and 2015 was held in Ankara. Hearing was adjourned until October, because the panel of judges had not yet reviewed Özer and his lawyer’s defense statements as per the final opinion.
Trial where Cumhuriyet reporter Hazal Ocak, Managing Editor Olcay Büyüktaş, editor İpek Özbey & photojournalist Vedat Arık face “identifying state officials on anti-terror duty as targets” & “violation of privacy” charges resumed in İstanbul. The prosecutor presented their final opinion in which they requested punishment for the journalists; the panel of judges granted the defense extra time for their statements as per the final opinion. Hearing adjourned until December.
CHP has withdrawn from the Parliamentary Commission for Inquiring Causes of Violence Against Women: “What happened at the commission confirmed our impression that it was set up to legitimize the withdrawal from İstanbul Convention”.
Covid-19: 5,703 new infections and 59 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 23 June 2021
Democratic Society Congress Central Council member Mehmet Nuri Özdemir was detained in Diyarbakır.
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has warned his mayors after last week’s attack on the HDP’s İzmir office, saying they should be “prepared for similar provocations.”
The director of a presidential department has been elected as the new head of the Court of Accounts, which performs audits on behalf of Turkish parliament.
Trial where 3 police officers, who inflicted violence on journalist Beyza Kural while she covered the 2015-protest against the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), are accused of “violation of right to work” began today in İstanbul Accepting hee request to intervene in the case, the court denied Kural’s lawyer’s request to take additional defense statements on charges of “battery” and “threat.” Judge ruled to bring the absent defendant to the next hearing by force for which the date was set to September 24.
İhlas News Agency (İHA) reporter Mustafa Uslu has been attacked during news follow-up in Turkey’s Kocaeli province.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,809 new infections and 65 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 22 June 2021
Up to 100 people have been detained in police raids in Diyarbakır, İstanbul, Adana, Aydın and Ankara.
4 of the 6 people arrested in Patnos/Ağrı on 20 June were sent to prison.
“KCK Press trial,” which has been going on for the past 10 years, where 46 journalists face terror-related charges, resumed in İstanbul. Hearing was adjourned until November, for the completion of the missing documents in the case-file.
Trial where the now-shut Özgür Gündem’s former columnists and executives face “propaganda,” “provoking to commit a crime” and “praising an offense or an offender” charges because of Özgür Gündem’s reporting on “self-governance” in 2016, was held in İstanbul. The court ruled to wait for the execution of the arrest warrants of two defendants and adjourned the hearing until November.
President Erdoğan has announced that Turkey is set to lift the countrywide pandemic curfews as of July 1.
Covid-19: 6,143 new infections and 57 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 21 June 2021
The sixth sitting of the third hearing in the Kobani Trial has started in Ankara.
A fire broke out in the forest of Mount Cudi, beyond the village of Kösreli in Silopi, province of Şırnak.
Shortly after the deadly attack on HDP in İzmir, an AKP office in Diyarbakır was attacked with a molotov cocktail. 2 suspects were detained, one of them has turned out to be the nephew of an AKP executive.
Three people have been detained as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Hurmüz Diril, who has been missing for 531 days.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,294 new infections and 51 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Weekly 14 – 20 June 2021
Turkey Today – 20 June 2021
HDP Party Council member Veli Saçılık reported that he was subjected to violence by the police during a protest in Ankara to condemn the murder of HDP employee Deniz Poyraz.
Hunger strike in Turkish prisons against solitary confinement of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan enters day
Thousands of women from across Turkey flocked to Istanbul to say they won’t abandon the Istanbul Convention at a mass rally.
5 people including HDP member Coşkun Çetres were detained during police raids in Patnos/Ağrı.
Covid-19: 5,091 new infections and 63 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 19 June 2021
72 Bar Association Presidents condemned in a statement the attack on HDP Izmir Provincial Organization and the killing of Deniz Poyraz.
Police forces in Batman intervened against protests regarding the attacks on HDP and the murder of HDP member Deniz Poyraz. Many people were arrested, among them the dismissed HDP co-mayors. HDP MPs Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki and Necdet İpekyüz were beaten by the police.
The Saturday Mothers came together in week 847 to ask those responsible for the death of İsmail Ağaya who disappeared in Batman after abduction by 3 armed persons on 29 May 1994. He worked as a roundsman for the newspaper Özgür Ülke.
Villager resisting mine construction in Rize faces charges of ‘terror propaganda’.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,480 new infections and 51 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 18 June 2021
Having attacked the HDP İzmir office and shot HDP’s Deniz Poyraz to death, assailant Onur Gencer has been arrested.
The assailant of the attack on HDP in İzmir said, “My aim was to find a few people there. If there had been others, I would have shot at them as well.”
The taxi driver who brought the assailant to the party building said he frequently dropped the killer who got on the taxi from Gaziemir to the HDP building.
Trial where 17 people, including journalists Sema Karakurt and Eylem Sonbahar face “resisting the police” and “insult” charges due to the 2015 G20 protests in Antalya, resumed in Antalya. Lawyer of journos Sonbahar and Karakurt requested the case-file be merged with a 2018-case regarding the same incident. The court ruled to request the relevant case-file to review it; hearing was adjourned until December.
In the trial over the death of Berkin Elvan, the court has ruled that police officer F.D. shall be sentenced to 16 years, 8 months in prison on charge of “killing with eventual intent.” F.D. has not been arrested.
Covid-19: 5,575 new infections and 59 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 17 June 2021
The photos of the HDP building that was attacked by the assailant have been reached. Numerous bullet holes were discovered all over the room while the breakfasts plate of Deniz Poyraz was still on the table.
The Kobani Trial continued today. Lawyers and HDP’s politicians left the courtroom, saying: “After the attack on our party in Izmir and the murder of one of our friends; It is not possible for us to defend under these conditions.”
The Bill on the Amendment of the Law on the Execution of Penalties and Security Measures was accepted with the votes of AKP and MHP in Parliament. Monitoring boards will be able to see and inspect the vehicles used in the transportation of detainees and the sections where they are kept in courthouses or where they are treated in health institutions, receive information from administrators and officials, and listen to the wards of the prisoners.
The Ministry of Interior has launched an investigation against the 25 municipal council members of Siirt Municipality on the grounds that “the President has the authority to reduce the default interest.”
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,904 new infections and 62 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 16 June 2021
Bitlis Governorate announced the ban of actions and events in the city for 15 days.
At the hearing of the Soma Case, the court announced its decision, and the families left the hall in protest. Soma Coal Enterprises Inc. Executive Board Chair Can Gürkan has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The ECtHR has concluded that the judicial fine given to a university student for “insulting Erdoğan” and the dismissal of a cleaning worker due to her social media likes violated their freedom of expression.
An ultranationalist mob has attempted to attack HDP deputies during a hearing of the Kobane trial. The group also chanted racist slogans at the courthouse.
Covid-19: 6,221 new infections and 71 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 15 June 2021
In the Kobanî trial, the court has released Ayhan Bilgen, Berfin Özgü Köse, Can Memiş and Cihan Erdal with an international travel ban.
An administrative court has rejected the lawsuit filed by MLSA against the ban of the staging of the Kurdish play Bêrû by Teatra Jiyana Nu.
Trial where journalist Ayşe Kara is accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” began in Diyarbakır. Indictment claims she ran operations inside Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and presents her journalistic activities as evidence for crime. Court ruled for the continuation of the travel ban imposed upon Kara and decides to send the case-file over to the prosecutor’s office for the drafting of the final opinion as to the accusations. Next hearing will be in November.
Fourth hearing of the trial where Cumhuriyet Managing Editor Olcay Büyüktaş and former reporter Alican Uludağ face “publishing the identity of an informant on anti-terrorist duty and identifying them as a target” charges was held in İstanbul. The journalists are acquitted.
Three HDP MPs have brought the isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı Prison and the prisoners’ ongoing hunger strike demanding an end to his isolation into Parliamentary agenda.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,955 new infections and 84 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 14 June 2021
The “Kobanî trial” against 108 HDP politicians continued at the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court in Sincan Prison Courthouse. The defendants’ requests for recusal, which were previously rejected by the court, have been rejected by the upper court as well.
It was revealed that the prosecutor of the Kobané Case is running another investigation against members of SES Union with the statements of the same anonymous witness, codenamed ‘Ulaş’. Ulaş testified for the law suit against the HDP to be banned.
Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan’s attorneys applied to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to meet with their clients.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) has once again called on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to declare early elections.
Pamukkale University says it has cancelled the two final exam questions about “the pro-Kurdish opposition party that the Turkish prosecutor’s office wants to be banned by the top court of the country”.
Covid-19: 5,626 new infections and 74 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Weekly 7 – 13 June 2021
Turkey Today – 13 June 2021
Hunger strike against solidarity confinement of Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan enters day 199.
The forest fire that started during the military offensive in Diyarbakir’s Dicle district has spread to the border of Elazığ.
HDP politicians Fener Günana and Ahmet Subaşı who were detained in İstanbul 4 days ago were sent to prison.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,012 new infections and 53 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 12 June 2021
Turkey detains HDP Hakkari district co-chairs in latest crackdown on party.
The fire, which broke out on Friday during military operations in the forest area in the countryside of Dargeçit, is still burning and no intervention has been made to extinguish it.
The Saturday Mothers came together in week 846 to ask those responsible for the death of Murat Aslan who disappeared in Diyarbakır after detention by the police on 10 June 1994.
Mafia leader Sedat Peker says prisons director visited him in jail upon Erdoğan’s instructions.
Turkey plans to roll out COVID vaccines to all over-20s by end of June.
Covid-19: 6,076 new infections and 75 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 11 June 2021
Constitutional Court rejects application on Cizre’s 3rd basement massacre. The Official Gazette explained why the Constitutional Court rejected the application regarding the massacre carried out by the Turkish state in the 3rd basement during the self-government resistance in Cizre: Missing Documents.
The 22 years and 3 months prison sentence given to DTK Co-chair Leyla Güven, who was arrested after she was stripped of her parliamentary status, was upheld by the Court of Appeals.
Ozan Kaplanoğlu, the Managing Chief Editor of BursaMuhalif.com local news website, has been sentenced to 1 year, 10 months, 15 days in prison on the grounds that he reported on the press statement against Turkey’s “Afrin Operation” into Syria in 2018. He reported on the statement against Turkey’s operation with the headline “We side with peace, not war”.
Trial where journalist Rrustem Batum faces “publicly denigrating the state’s military and law enforcement personnel” charges pursuant to Turkish Penal Code’s notorious Article 301 resumed in İstanbul. Court ruled to wait for the execution of the arrest warrant issued for Batum in order for his defense statement to be received. Trial adjourned until November.
Covid-19: 6,261 new infections and 69 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 10 June 2021
The lawyers who requested the indictment against the HDP regarding the law suit to ban the party was told, “There is a strict order of the Chief Prosecutor, no information or document will be given.”
The CoE department for the execution of judgments of the ECtHR discussed the Demirtaş case. As the deadline for Turkish authorities to submit an action plan didn’t expire yet, they didn’t examine the general measures. The examination will continue at the next meeting in September.
Trial where Van-based freelance journalist Ruşen Takva faces “membership in a terrorist org” & defying the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations charges for covering a march that was supposed to take place in Van began in Van. Following defense statements presented today, the court decided to send the case-file over to the prosecutor’s office for the final opinion as to the accusations to be drafted. Trial adjourned until October.
A penal judgeship of peace in Ankara has imposed an access block on nine tweets of Sedat Peker where he made some allegations about Ankara Regional Administrative Court’s Presiding Judge Toklu.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 6,408 new infections and 96 deaths.
Turkey Today – 9 June 2021
At least 12 people including HDP members and executives, were detained in a police operation carried out in 8 boroughs of Istanbul.
The Constitutional court has ruled that the arrest of İdil Eser, the former director of Amnesty Turkey, during the Büyükada trial caused a rights violation.
Prosecutor requests up to five years imprisonment of Nurcan Kaya due to her tweet regarding Kobanê on charges of consecutive “terrorist propaganda.” Next hearing will be held on Sep 27.
Second hearing of the trial where journalist Nurcan Yalçın faces “membership in a terrorist org” charges as part of the investigation launched against Rosa Women’s Association was held in Diyarbakır. Court ruled to ask Diyarbakır Security Directorate’s Anti-Terror Branch in writing if they have any information on whether Jin News, the news agency that NurcanYalçın works for, has any connections to the PKK. Trial adjourned until September.
President Erdoğan says regarding the Sedat Peker videos the source of “slanders” against his party are PKK, FETÖ, “the leftovers of Armenian groups” and criminal organizations.
Covid-19: 6,454 new infections and 87 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 8 June 2021
Van Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Mustafa Avcı who was dismissed from office and replaced by a trustee was detained with a raid on his home.
A high criminal court has requested a red notice for Can Dündar.
Cumhuriyet newspaper investigated over report on Sedat Peker videos.
Seventh hearing of the trial where Mesopotamia News Agency reporter Ruken Demir faces “membership in a terrorist organization” charges based on phone conversations with her news sources resumed in İzmir. The original panel of İzmir 19th High Criminal Court was excused. The panel on duty decided to complete the review of the cyber examination report on the journalists’ confiscated hard disks and digital materials until the next hearing. Trial adjourned until October.
Third hearing of the trial where journalist Melike Aydın faces “membership in a terror org” charges based on phone convo’s with news sources & a book found at her home titled “Color Purple of Kurdish Politics” was held in İzmir. Court acquits the journalist of all charges due to a lack of incriminating evidence.
Prosecutor demands 3 years in prison for journalists Canan Coşkun, Can Uğur and Ali Açar on the grounds that they allegedly revealed the identity of the police officer who had shot Berkin Elvan during Gezi protests.
İstanbul Regional Court of Appeals completed its review of the case where journalist Sabiha Temizkan was sentenced to 1 yr 3 mo in prison for “terror propaganda” due to a single tweet she posted in 2014. Court acquitted the journalist of all charges.
The ECtHR has concluded that the right to liberty and security and freedom of expression of Ali Bulaç, who stood trial in Zaman newspaper case, have been violated.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 6,609 new infections and 86 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 7 June 2021
Put on trial for joining the protests against Turkey’s possible withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention in August 2020, 33 women had their first hearing at the 28th Penal Court of First Instance today. Police intervened against the women who wanted to hold a press statement before the first hearing. Several women have been detained.
CHP Eskişehir MP Utku Çakırözer visited Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Kozağaçlı in Silivri and Edirne Prisons: “Kavala, Demirtaş and all prisoners of thought must be freed as soon as possible.”
Ranchers can not ranch due to military operations of Turkey in Hakkari and Şırnak provinces.
The Progressive Lawyers Group has both announced that they will file a criminal complaint regarding the allegations of Sedat Peker and shared a petition sample for the citizens who want to follow suit.
Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) deputy Ahmet Şık is under investigation over his comments on Sedat Peker videos.
Face-to-face education resumes at secondary and high schools starting from today.
Covid-19: 5,647 new infections and 91 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Weekly 1 June – 6 June 2021
Turkey Today – 6 June 2021
Curfews were imposed in 22 places in Bitlis due to a military offensive.
Hunger strike in Turkish prisons against solitary confinement of Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan enters day 192.
A Turkish court has sentenced ISIS member Arkan Taha Ahmad, one of the perpetrators of the Speicher Massacre in which 1,700 people were killed in Iraq, to house arrest for two months.
The Şenyaşar family demands disclosure of the hospital records.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 5,386 new infections and 96 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 5 June 2021
Verified Facebook account of Mesopotamia News Agency has been suspended.
The Diyarbakır Bar Association and the Human Rights Association have published a report proving that Şükriye Gezgin, who is detained in the women’s prison, was tortured.
In Tatvan, soldiers confiscated flour sacks from villagers at a checkpoint. A maximum of 5 kg was allowed.
The Turkish army launched a new offensive in Lice. After helicopters flew over the region, forest fires broke out.
The Saturday Mothers came together in the 845nd week to ask those responsible for the death of Kurdish businessman Savaş Buldan, Hacı Karay and Adnan Yıldırım. The three were detained on 3 June 1994 and found dead afterwards.
Three years have passed since the murder of 3 people from the Şenyaşar family. Staging a sit in demanding justice for the last 3 months, mother Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit was detained 4 times in this process.
Covid-19: 6,126 new infections and 92 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 4 June 2021
Esengül Kılıç, a member of the HDP party council, was arrested on her way from İstanbul to Ankara. The reason given was an arrest warrant.
Twelve students have been put on trial for displaying rainbow flags in Istanbul. The previously issued registration orders were partially lifted, but the bans on leaving the country were reaffirmed.
Trial where 38 people incl. journalists Mustafa Sönmez, Sedef Kabas, Merdan Yanardağ & Bloomberg reporters Kerim Karakaya & Fercan Yalçınkılıç are accused of sharing “false, wrong, or deceptive information” to affect the markets for their reporting resumedin Istanbul today. Court stated that the expert report on whether each defendant gained material benefit per Capital Markets Law by their reporting was completed. Experts established no benefit. BDDK lawyers given time to prepare statement in response to the report, trial adjourned until July.
Turkey remains on EU’s travel list of COVID-risky countries.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 6,169 new infections and 94 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 3 June 2021
Another application has been made to defer the execution of the prison sentence of 83-year-old Özkan, whose court records show that he has been in prison for 25 years for a crime he did not commit.
2nd hearing of the trial where journalist A. Rahman Gök is accused of “membership in a terrorist org” & “terror propaganda” was held in Diyarbakır. Gök faces up to 20 years for his conversations with news sources and the content of his reporting. Gök noted that secret witness statements implying that he took photos under orders from an organization aren’t truthful. Court ruled to send the case-file over to the prosecutor’s office for the final opinion to be drafted, adjourned the trial until September.
Trial where journalist Rojda Oğuz faces “membership in a terrorist org” and “terror propaganda” charges resumed in Van. Evidence against the journo include press statements she had attended as well as her social media posts. Court adjourned the trial until October in order to hear the remaining witnesses in the file and continue receiving defense statements of defendants who have not testified yet.
Trial where since-defunct Özgür Gündem daily’s former managing editor Reyhan Çapan faces “terror propaganda” & “publishing statements of terrorist org’s” charges where 18 separate indictments were merged resumed in İstanbul. Court ruled to wait for the execution of arrest warrants issued against defendants Bülent Toraman, Cimşit Atılgan and Nebahat Akman. Trial is adjourned until November.
Giving his statement as part of an investigation launched into the assassination of journalist Kutlu Adalı in Cyprus in 1996, Atilla Peker, the brother of Sedat Peker, has been released on probation.
Covid-19: 6,602 new infections and 114 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 2 June 2021
The motions tabled by CHP İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu questioning the whereabouts of the lost 128 billion dolars were returned on grounds that these questions can not be asked according to the Article 97 of the Internal Regulation.
The court, which issued an arrest warrant for HDP PM member Fırat Keser, justified the decision by saying that Keser lives close to the Van- Iran border and therefore he is at flight risk. Keser was arrested 28 May.
Attorneys of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan applied again to Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to meet with their client.
According to the Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette, 10 new faculties have been opened at eight universities while one faculty and two vocational schools of three universities have been closed.
Held in detention in Ankara for eight days, the members of the Health and Social Service Laborers’ Union (SES) have been released.
Covid-19: Health Ministry reported 7,181 new infections and 112 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 1 June 2021
58 bar chairs have released a statement about the intervention faced by locals resisting a marble quarry in Van: “Laying claim to one’s living space is not a crime; give up the project, apologize to villagers”
Expert sergeant Musa Orhan who raped İpek Er, causing her to commit suicide was not arrested at the third hearing of the case against him.
Police and private security guards once again locked the doors of Boğaziçi University’s South Campus, not letting students in.
Future Party leader and former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu says he had no links to intel trucks bound for Syria.
Covid-19: 7,112 new infections and 129 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.
Turkey Today – 31 May 2021
Put on trial for “being a member of a terrorist organization” and acquitted in January 2020, Assoc. Prof. Tuna Altınel, a lecturer at Lyon-1 University and an Academic for Peace, has received his passport.
İstanbul 10th Administrative Court scheduled a hearing to hear MLSA’s demand for the suspension of the execution of the decision to ban Teatra Jiyana Nu’s Kurdish play.
A series of rallies will be held in Turkey’s three Kurdish-majority eastern provinces with the slogans “Make Kurdish language the official and education language in Turkey”.
The court has rejected the request for recusal of the family of Metin Lokumcu, a retired teacher who was affected by pepper gas and had a heart attack during the police intervention into a protest before Erdoğan’s rally in Hopa.
The ban on demonstrations in İkizdere where villagers were fighting against a stone pit was extended by the governor’s office of Rize for another two weeks.
Covid-19: The figures have not yet been published.