Initiative for Freedom of Expression Releases 2019 Annual Report

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The Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Düşünce Suçu(!?)na Karşı Girişim) has released its 2019 Annual Report. Signed by Mustafa Kumral, the report summarizes the human rights abuses faced by rights defenders, social media users, opposition parties, academics and journalists in Turkey.

CLICK - Read the full report (in Turkish)

Report reveals violations of rights

Some highlights from the report are as follows:

"With 3,128 verdicts of conviction, Turkey ranks the first in convictions at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) (1959-2018). This picture has not changed in 2019, either: At least 95 verdicts of right violation were given, 32 for freedom of expression and 12 for the right to a fair trial.

* In the first 11 months of 2019, 10 people lost their lives as a result of extrajudicial executions committed by law enforcement officers.

* In this 11-month period, 840 torture victims appealed to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) and 840 torture victims appealed to the Human Rights Association (İHD). While 962 meetings and demonstrations were intervened, 2,886 people were subjected to beating and ill treatment during these interventions. Seven cases of abduction were also reported.

Syria operation: Bans, investigations, arrests...

* Declaring the borderline with Syria as a special security zone, the Governorship of Urfa banned journalists from conducting interviews and taking pictures and images and threatened them. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) announced that the broadcasts against Turkey's "Operation Peace Spring" into northern Syria would be "silenced." Then, ban on demonstrations also ensued: All types of protest demonstrations were banned in the provinces of Şırnak, Urfa, Adana, Kocaeli, Aydın, Van, Antep, Hakkâri, İzmir, Mardin, Eskişehir, Dersim, Batman and Iğdır.

*An investigation was launched against social media accounts critical of the operation. As part of these investigations, at least 186 people were detained, 24 of them were arrested. While social media users were charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "inciting the public to enmity and hatred through black propaganda", journalists were also among the detained. Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chairs Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, HDP MPs Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Leyla Güven, Berdan Öztürk and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu were also investigated on charges of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "degrading the state."

Trial of journalists

* Targeted over the news that he reported during the period of curfews and imprisoned for over 3 years, journalist Nedim Türfent's prison term of 8 years and 9 months was upheld by the Court of Cassation. He was charged with "membership of a terrorist organization" and "terror propaganda."

* Necmettin Tosun, the distributor of daily Yeni Yaşam, was put on trial over the news and articles published on the newspaper. While Tosun was charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", the indictment described Yeni Yaşam as a newspaper "owned by Kurdistan Workers Party/Kurdistan Communities Union (PKK/KCK)." (EMK/SD)