The Human Rights Association (İHD) Documentation Center has released its 2024 report on human rights violations across Turkey. The report, based on media coverage and official statements, outlines widespread restrictions, state interventions, and rights abuses, including 6,094 deaths linked to violations of the right to life. Military operations and armed clashes accounted for the highest number of fatalities.
At least 3,262 people were killed in clashes in Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) territory in Iraq. The victims included 10 civilians, 38 soldiers, one village guard, and 1,530 armed group members.
According to the report, authorities imposed protest bans in 24 provinces, totaling 458 days in 2024. At least 1,811 people were detained during assemblies and demonstrations, and 127 individuals were jailed over social media posts. Two mayors were arrested, and trustees were appointed to replace elected officials in eight municipalities.
In 15 cases involving unlawful use of firearms by law enforcement, nine people died and 10 were injured. In five of those incidents, police opened fire on individuals allegedly failing to heed “stop” warnings, killing three and wounding five.
Deaths in custody and prisons
At least three people died in custody in 2024, including one Syrian refugee suspected to have been tortured at a removal center, and another individual, G.A., who allegedly jumped from a police vehicle. The death of Serhat Kahyaoğlu, reportedly taken into custody under torture, drew public attention after autopsy results revealed signs of physical violence.
At least 27 people died in prisons or shortly after being released due to illness.
Fatalities caused by neglect
Negligence and official errors led to 128 deaths and 266 injuries in 64 separate incidents. Among the dead were 12 children. At least 20 people died in natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and 22 others lost their lives in fires, gas leaks, or similar household accidents.
Seven people died after being hit by vehicles used by law enforcement or other official bodies. Nine individuals were killed due to unlawful use of firearms by police, while at least nine people, including seven children, drowned while swimming in summer months.
Explosions caused by landmines or abandoned ordnance in Diyarbakır, Şırnak, and Hakkari killed three people, including one child, and injured four more.
Hate crimes and discriminatory violence
The report documented 106 racist, xenophobic, or hate-motivated attacks in 2024, resulting in at least 14 deaths and 40 injuries. Of 65 racist attacks identified, 35 targeted refugees or foreign nationals, killing at least 11 people, including nine refugees (two of them children) and two citizens of other countries. An estimated 3,000 refugees reportedly left Kayseri following these incidents.
Attacks targeting the LGBTI+ community resulted in at least four deaths and seven injuries across 23 incidents.
At least 103 children were killed in 2024 due to right-to-life violations, including 71 in workplace accidents. Gender-based violence led to the deaths of 378 women, while the deaths of another 315 women were recorded as suspicious.
Work-related fatalities continued at a high rate, with at least five workers dying each day in 2024.
Ill-treatment during detentions and protests
According to İHD, at least 2,651 people were subjected to torture or ill-treatment during detentions at 191 peaceful protests, including 27 children and 46 journalists.
Additionally, at least 501 individuals, 14 children, 15 journalists, and 101 refugees (60 of them at removal centers), were reportedly subjected to torture or mistreatment during official detention procedures or at detention facilities.
Outside of official custody settings, at least 102 individuals, including 31 children and one person with disabilities, were victims of torture or inhumane treatment.
Arbitrary detentions and prosecutions
The report stated that at least 4,911 people were arbitrarily detained and 611 others were arbitrarily arrested during 2024. The arrests of Hakkari Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and Esenyurt Mayor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer from the Republican People's Party (CHP) were cited as examples of arbitrary detentions.
At least 260 investigations were launched and 355 new trials opened against individuals exercising freedoms of expression, assembly, or association. In addition, 519 existing cases continued. Police intervened in at least 313 peaceful demonstrations, detaining 1,811 people, most under allegations of torture or ill-treatment, and injuring 40.
Bans and censorship
Authorities banned at least 24 cultural events, including concerts, documentary screenings, and exhibitions, while 40 others were obstructed in various ways. At least five publications and 10 books were banned or confiscated. A newspaper office was raided, and seven TV and radio stations, including Açık Radyo, had their licenses revoked. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed numerous fines on opposition channels.
Prosecutors launched investigations into people dancing the traditional halay to Kurdish music at weddings or in public spaces. As a result, 48 individuals, including musicians, were detained on charges of "terrorist propaganda," and 30 of them were arrested. At least three NGOs faced closure lawsuits, and a trustee was appointed to one.
Prison conditions and political suppression
The report noted that Turkey’s prisons currently hold 1,412 ill prisoners, including 335 classified as critically ill.
In 2024, there were at least 3,261 violations of prisoners’ right to communication, and 476 arbitrary disciplinary actions were reported. A total of 855 inmates were transferred to prisons far from their families without consent.
The İHD drew attention to the continued detention of Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) MP Can Atalay despite a Constitutional Court ruling declaring the revocation of his parliamentary status invalid.
Trustees were appointed to eight municipalities, one metropolitan and four provincial, including after two elected mayors were jailed.
In the long-running Kobane trial, several politicians from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including former co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, received prison sentences of up to 42 years. (AB/VK)
