2018 Courage to Think Defender Award has been granted to Academics for Peace due to their extraordinary efforts to form solidarity at universities and encourage academic freedom, freedom of questioning and peaceful exchange of ideas.

European Commission has announced that the EU Delegation in Turkey will continue monitoring and reporting on the case of Pınar Selek, who has been tried and acquitted four times in the trial of Egyptian Bazaar explosion.

“From Erzurum resident, this homeland is ours” has been written in capital on Surp Takavor Armenian Church in Kadıköy, İstanbul. Besides, garbage has been dumped on church’s front door.

Academics İpek Merçil, Oğuz Arucu, Güven Gürkan Öztan, Gülhan Türkay, Sinan Yıldırmaz, Taner Gören, Ertan Ersoy, İbrahim Kaboğlu, Mehmet Ruza Türkay and Yücel Candemir have had their second hearings.

Diyarbakır Governorship has announced that curfew has been declared in 69 villages and hamlets in the districts of Lice and Kulp in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır on the ground of an operation to be launched in the region.

Former Human Rights Association Bitlis Branch Chair Ceylan wasn’t released in the hearing held today. Ceylan has been kept in detention for 1.5 years.

Cumhuriyet Executive Board Chair Akın Atalay, who has been sentenced to 7 years 3 months and 15 days in prison in Cumhuriyet trial, have attended 56th Justice Watch: “We will continue to be on side with law and rights”.

Police have launched a social media operation in İzmir. Among the ones taken into custody in house raids is also Onur Kılıç, who is a member of the Freedom and Solidarity Party and has been previously arrested for the same reason.

Journalist İsmail Küçükkaya and attorney Fidel Okan have been sentenced to 16 months and 20 days in prison on charges of “publicly insulting a public officer” and “publicly insulting institutions and bodies of Republic of Turkey.” Their sentences have been suspended.

Friends of Celalettin Can have demanded release of him on his 78th day in detention.

Assoc. Prof. Merve Didem Dayı has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; her sentence has been suspended. Müftüoğlu, Durakbaşa, Yapıştıran, Taşkın and Akça have presented their statements of defence.

İstanbul Governorship has requested that the statement to be read out during 1915 Commemoration not contain the word “genocide.” Three Human Rights Association members have been detained.

Ministry of Interior has announced that 710 social media accounts have been investigated and legal action has been taken against 208 social media users over last week.

CHP MP Tanrıkulu has presented a report documenting the right to life violations committed against children in recent years. The report has shown that while child mortality from violence and occupational homicides has not decreased, extrajudicial executions have seen a dramatic increase in 2015 and 2016.

Journalists’ Union of Turkey has met with jailed journalist Zehra Doğan, who has been in Diyarbakır Type E Prison since June 12, 2017.

Presiding Judge of İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court has asked the academic, “Why didn't you sign such declarations before even though several terrorist attacks were carried out?”

Next hearings of Önderoğlu, Korur-Fincancı and Nesin, against whom lawsuits have been filed on charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” after their solidarity with the closed Özgür Gündem newspaper, will be held on October 9.

On the first Wednesday after April 13 each year, Yazidis celebrate the festival of “Çarşema Sor” (Red Wednesday). Yazidis believe that “Çarşema Sor” marks the day when the world was fermented by God and life on earth started, namely the first day of the year.

ETHA reporter Adil Demirci has been arrested on the fifth day of his detention on charges of “being a member of an illegal organization” and “propagandizing for a terrorist organization.”

Curfew has been declared in the villages and hamlets in the district of Hizan in Bitlis due to an operation to be launched in the region.