24 people detained for ‘insulting the President’ in 8 months in Turkey

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Documentation Center has released its Report on Violations of Freedom of Expression, Assembly and Association, covering the first eight months of this year.

CLICK - 'Domestic and national' journalism by force of prison, censorship, seizure!

Documenting the rights violations in a 168-page report, the foundation has underlined that the breaches of freedom of expression, assembly and association, together with the already aggravating problem of human rights in the country, also pose a problem in terms of democracy.

The latest BİA Media Monitoring Report covering the third quarter of 2020 has also shown that 81 journalists are currently facing 7 life sentences and 760 years, 3 months in prison in total and eight journalists are facing a total of 1 million 410 thousand Turkish Lira (TRY) in damages as per a series of laws, including the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Anti-Terror Law (TMK) and the Law on National Intelligence Organization (MİT).

Unpublished book banned as well

The TİHV report has been prepared based on printed and online news as well as the reports and statements of professional and occupational organizations and human rights groups. Covering the eight-month period from January 1 to August 31, the report has shared the following violations:

* 38 journalists and one writer were detained. While 17 journalists were arrested, nine journalists were released on probation.

* By court orders, acces blocks were imposed on 53 news reports, 75 websites, two web pages and five social media accounts, 59 internet content and 143 internet addresses. Moreover, a book which had not yet been published and a newspaper issue were banned by court orders.

* At least 24 people were taken into custody, three people were arrested and one person faced an investigation on charge of "insulting the President." Facing a lawsuit on the same ground, one person was sentenced to 5 months in prison, but not as per the Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which governs the offense of insulting the President, but as per the Article 125, which governs the offense of insult.

* The trials of 18 artists on such grounds as "propagandizing for the organization", "insulting the President" etc. continued; the bill of indictment against two artists was accepted by the court in this period.

* Law enforcement officers intervened against at least 637 peaceful meetings and demonstrations; as a result of them, 1,346 people were detained by being subjected to torture and other acts of maltreatment, 54 people were injured, nine people, including one child, were arrested.

* All events and demonstrations were banned by governor's offices for 89 times in 33 provinces; while the shortest one of these demonstration bans was for 2 days, the longest was for 30 days. At least 24 events were banned by governor's and sub-governor's offices.

* 79 people elected to the local administrations such as co-mayors, municipal council members and neighborhood/ village heads were taken into custody; 16 of these local administrators were arrested.

* At least 314 political party executives and members were detained; while 284 of them were from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), seven were from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), two were from the Labor Party (EMEP), 10 from the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), five from the Future Party, one from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), four from the EHP, one from the SYKP. At least 79 party members and executives were arrested; while 69 of them were from the HDP, two were from the DBP, one from the CHP and one from the SYKP.

* At least 160 association, foundation, union and professional organization executives and members were taken into custody; 70 people were arrested while 73 people were released on probation.

* At least 675 people were detained on such grounds as "aiding and abetting the organization", "propagandizing for the organization" and "membership of the organization"; 72 people were arrested, 117 people were released on probation and 19 people were released into house arrest.

* The mayors of 14 municipalities (two provincial, 11 district and two town municipalities) were dismissed and replaced with trustees by the Ministry of Interior. One provincial mayor was suspended from duty by the Ministry of Interior and the certificate of election of one district mayor was cancelled on the grounds that there was a final ruling of prison sentence against him.

* Based on final verdicts, three MPs were stripped of MP status and arrested.

* One summary of proceedings was brought against one ruling AKP MP; nine summaries against six MPs from the main opposition CHP; 12 summaries against one MP from the DBP; 135 summaries against 37 MPs from the CHP and four summaries against three MPs from the İYİ Party.

Click here to read the full report (in Turkish)

(AS/SD)