RIGHTS - Bianet

RIGHTS

Page 4

‘Gezi case defendants imprisoned based on indictment by coup plotters’

‘Gezi case defendants imprisoned based on indictment by coup plotters’

Tayfun Kahraman, one of the eight prisoners of the case concerning the 2013 Gezi Park protests, released a message on the anniversary of the 2016 coup attempt.

DEM Party demands end to confinement of PKK leader

DEM Party demands end to confinement of PKK leader

Imprisoned for 25 years, Abdullah Öcalan's last known contact with the outside world was three and a half years ago, when he had a disrupted phone call with his brother.

Bill allowing euthanasia of stray dogs submitted to parliament

Bill allowing euthanasia of stray dogs submitted to parliament

Euthanasia will be introduced for animals that “pose a rabies risk, cannot be adopted and cannot be treated,” according to an AKP official.

Report documents hate crime against belief groups in Turkey

Report documents hate crime against belief groups in Turkey

The Freedom of Belief Initiative has found 47 incidents of hate crime targeting various belief groups, mostly Christians and Jews.

Police officers suspected in Tahir Elçi killing acquitted due to ‘insufficient evidence’

Police officers suspected in Tahir Elçi killing acquitted due to ‘insufficient evidence’

The court has released its detailed ruling in the case of the 2015 killing of Diyarbakır Bar Association President Tahir Elçi.

10 July 2024 Ruken Tuncel

Ill prisoner kept in solitary cell in Giresun

Ill prisoner kept in solitary cell in Giresun

Mehmet Darga was put in solitary confinement reportedly because of his participation in hunger strikes protesting PKK leader Öcalan’s confinement.

Osman Kavala submits new appeal seeking retrial

Osman Kavala submits new appeal seeking retrial

The Justice Ministry rejected a previous appeal from Kavala’s lawyers.

Public human rights agency documents overcrowding in prisons

Public human rights agency documents overcrowding in prisons

Some prisoners sleep on the floor, the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey found during visits to two prisons.

Justice Ministry rejects Kavala’s retrial request

Justice Ministry rejects Kavala’s retrial request

Kavala’s lawyers had argued that shift to an executive presidential system in Turkey had rendered previous charges against him obsolete, as the office of the prime minister, the supposed victim of the crime, was abolished in the 2017 referendum.

More than 1,000 individuals detained across Turkey over anti-refugee violence

More than 1,000 individuals detained across Turkey over anti-refugee violence

Violent attacks on refugees in Kayseri following an alleged child abuse incident spread to other regions.

15-year-old Syrian child fatally stabbed in Antalya amid anti-refugee violence

15-year-old Syrian child fatally stabbed in Antalya amid anti-refugee violence

Three suspects, all minors themselves, have been arrested following the incident.

Detentions in Kayseri rise to 484 following anti-refugee violence

Detentions in Kayseri rise to 484 following anti-refugee violence

The interior minister has once again urged for prudence against xenophobia.

Verdict reached in 2015 Ankara Massacre case: No convictions for crimes against humanity

Verdict reached in 2015 Ankara Massacre case: No convictions for crimes against humanity

Plaintiff lawyers have criticized the decision: "At the end of the trial process, during which not a single public official was prosecuted, the court, for the first time in Turkish legal history, acquitted defendant Erman Ekici of crimes against humanity, despite an indictment having been prepared against him for this charge."

Violent protests target refugee community in Turkey’s Kayseri after alleged sexual assault on minor

Violent protests target refugee community in Turkey’s Kayseri after alleged sexual assault on minor

Dozens of individuals have been taken into custody following the incidents. The events triggered counter-protests in the Turkish-controlled parts of northern Syria.

1 July 2024 Volga Kuşçuoğlu

Syrian refugee missing for 100 days after release from prison

Syrian refugee missing for 100 days after release from prison

Following Veli’s disappearance, unidentified callers using a Turkish phone number contacted his family, claiming that Veli would be released in exchange for his father. Shortly after, the same number sent Veli’s family images of him being tortured.

CİSST publishes prisons map of Turkey to enhance public data access

CİSST publishes prisons map of Turkey to enhance public data access

The map allows users to access detailed information about applications made to the association from prisons since 2014.

Critically ill prisoner dies shortly after release

Critically ill prisoner dies shortly after release

Yıldırım Han was released from prison and transferred to a hospital after his condition deteriorated two weeks ago.

PACE delegation urges Turkey to comply with ECtHR rulings on Demirtaş, Kavala

PACE delegation urges Turkey to comply with ECtHR rulings on Demirtaş, Kavala

PACE's co-rapporteur for Turkey met with various officials during his visit to the country, including Constitutional Court members and diplomats.

HDP worker Deniz Poyraz remembered 3 years after killing by ultranationalist assailant

HDP worker Deniz Poyraz remembered 3 years after killing by ultranationalist assailant

Kurdish politicians criticized the lack of accountability in political murders like that of Poyraz.

Human rights report shows increasing torture against Kurds, LGBTI+s

Human rights report shows increasing torture against Kurds, LGBTI+s

In the last year, 739 individuals from Ankara, Diyarbakır, İstanbul, İzmir, Van, and Cizre personally reported experiencing torture or ill-treatment, while 42 others reported on behalf of relatives, according to the HRFT.

Statement from 75 bar associations: We will never give up the struggle for justice

Statement from 75 bar associations: We will never give up the struggle for justice

75 bar associations issued a joint statement after the acquittal of three police officers in the case regarding the murder of Diyarbakır Bar Association's former president Tahir Elçi: “We will never give up the struggle for justice for Tahir Elçi.”

The struggle of private sector teachers in four questions

The struggle of private sector teachers in four questions

Members of the Teachers' Union talked about the base salary, the Teaching Profession Law (ÖMK), and their problems and struggles.

13 June 2024 Ali Dinç

İnanç Yıldız

Tahir Elçi verdict protested in Diyarbakır

Tahir Elçi verdict protested in Diyarbakır

The acquittal verdict for all the accused police officers in the last hearing of the murdered Diyarbakır Bar Association President Tahir Elçi case was protested. The demonstrators included lawyers and spectators, including Diyarbakır Bar Association President Nahit Eren and President of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations Erinç Sağkan.

13 June 2024 İnanç Yıldız

Discriminatory slogan at school tournament

Discriminatory slogan at school tournament

The slogan “refugees out” was chanted at a special inter-school sports tournament where participants included students from the Getronagan Armenian High School.

Constitutional Court finds no violation in penalty given to teacher who shared declaration of Academics for Peace

Constitutional Court finds no violation in penalty given to teacher who shared declaration of Academics for Peace

In the application of teacher G.Ş., who was disciplined for sharing the declaration of the Academics for Peace 'We will not be a party to this crime', the Constitutional Court ruled that the action was against the reputation and trust provided by the status of public service.

11 June 2024 Hikmet Adal

Tuğçe Yılmaz

“There are no dogs left on the streets of Urfa”

“There are no dogs left on the streets of Urfa”

Following reports of rabies cases in Urfa and subsequent allegations, a mass branding and collection of stray dogs was initiated. Yasemin Al, the Urfa Representative of the Association for the Protection of Animals from Helplessness and Indifference, and local animal protection officer, shared details of the process with bianet.

10 June 2024 Tuğçe Yılmaz

Ayça Söylemez

Censorship on a letter from prison describing hunger

Censorship on a letter from prison describing hunger

This time, instead of the usual redaction of some sentences, entire sections of the letter were completely covered up and only sent as a photocopy.

5 June 2024 Ayça Söylemez

Undercover as a Turkish guest worker

Undercover as a Turkish guest worker

The shocking discoveries of a German who went undercover and pretended to be Turkish. This is the story of a brave journalist and a book that made German society reconsider the treatment of foreigners.

3 June 2024 Niko Schmitz

Refugee mine worker’s killing: Defendants admit burning body to avoid mine closure

Refugee mine worker’s killing: Defendants admit burning body to avoid mine closure

The trial has begun for six individuals allegedly involved in the burning of the body of an Afghan worker who was killed in an accident in an unlicensed coal mine in Zonguldak.

Police raid ‘Kurdish language cafe” in Diyarbakır

Police raid ‘Kurdish language cafe” in Diyarbakır

The police raid comes after social media talk that “speaking Turkey was forbidden in the cafe.”

Ayça Söylemez

Prisoner on hunger strike: 'I am alone without sunlight'

Prisoner on hunger strike: 'I am alone without sunlight'

Halil Yakut, who is on a hunger strike demanding to be transferred to another prison, stated, "While the real culprits of the earthquake are not being prosecuted and the detained contractors are being released, I, an earthquake survivor, have been imprisoned."

28 May 2024 Ayça Söylemez

MP calls for investigation into post-conflict displacement in Diyarbakır's Sur

MP calls for investigation into post-conflict displacement in Diyarbakır's Sur

The historically rich district of the Kurdish-populated city saw wide-scale displacement following the 2015-16 conflict.