Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
7 January 2022 Daily Human Rights Report
(01/036) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, in Urfa Siverek T Type Closed Prison No 1 the heating does not work, the books belong to prisoners are collected during ward searches and prisoners are subjected to disciplinary proceedings, and the phone conversation rights are reduced to 10 minutes per week.
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, Emel Yeşilırmak, a prisoner kept in Istanbul Silivri Prison No 9 is forced to be a police informant by persons who claim themselves as intelligence officers.
(01/037) Prevention of Right to Health in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, prisoners in Samsun Bafra T Type Closed Prison are not referred to hospitals for they reject mouth-in searches.
(01/038) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan Not Responded…
It is learned that the appeal made on January 6, 2022 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyers in order to visit him was not responded.
(01/039) Threatened Political Party Member in Tunceli…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, Yusuf Akın, a member of the Labour Party, was threatened by persons who claim themselves as intelligence officers, on January 1, 2022. It is stated in the news reports that Yusuf Akın was stopped by 3 people as he was going home in Tunceli and was threatened by them showing him a gun and saying “Come and we will have a chat. You are on the wrong way. If we had wanted to do something to you, we would already have done it”.
(01/040) Police Intervention to a Protest in Ankara…
The police used physical violence to intervene the press declaration “I Want My Job Back” of Şişli Municipality workers in front of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) headquarters in Ankara on January 6, 2022. 3 people (Turan Aktaş, Salih Bitnel and Kakil Yazar) who were detained by the police were released after being imposed penalty fines.
(01/041) Police Intervention to a Protest in Istanbul…
The police intervened the press declaration to demand release of ill prisoner Ali Osman Köse, in front of Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul on January 6, 2022 and detained 1 person. Detained person (Feridun Osmanağaoğlu) is released after statement procedures on the same day.
(01/042) Police Intervention to a Protest in Istanbul…
The police intervened the press declaration of the Resistance Assemblies demanding release of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD) members in front of Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul on January 6, 2022 and detained 1 person (Fırat Kaya). It is learned that 1 person (Nergis Doğru) was subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police.
(01/043) Journalists on Trial in Van…
The final trial of the case against Mezopotamya News Agency reporters Zeynep Durgut, Adnan Bilen, Cemil Uğur and Jinnews reporter Şehriban Abi and journalist Nazan Sala is held at Van Heavy Penal Court No 5 on January 6, 2022.
The court acquitted 5 journalists on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and sentenced Nazan Sala to 1 year and 3 months on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
5 journalists who had made news reports on the allegation that 2 detainees were thrown from helicopter in Çatak district of Van, were detained on October 6, 2021 and 4 of them were arrested by the court on October 9, 2021. 4 arrested journalists were released at the first trail held on April 2, 2021.
(01/044) Journalist on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The final trial of the case against journalist Rojhat Doğru is held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 8 on January 6, 2022.
The court sentenced Rojhat Doğru to heavy life imprisonment on the charge of ‘disrupting the unity and integrity of the state’ and then reduced the sentence to life imprisonment. The court sentenced Rojhat Doğru to 10 years and 10 months on the charge of ‘attempt to murder’ and to 1 year and 3 months on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
Rojhat Doğru was detained on December 3, 2018, on the grounds of participating in Kobanê protests in 2014 where he was reporting news, and was arrested on December 4, 2018. He was released with a ban on leaving the country and on judicial control conditions on February 26, 2019.
(01/045) Former MP on Trial in Diyarbakır…
Abdullah Zeydan, former Hakkari MP of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) was sentenced to 8 years 1 month and 15 days, on the charges of ‘aiding an illegal organisation’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’. As the local court’s verdict was reversed by the Court of Cassation, the retrial of the case is held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5 on January 6, 2022.
The court repeated its earlier verdict and decided to release Abdullah Zeydan.
(01/046) Investigation Against Parliamentary Member…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, Kocaeli Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, because of the press declaration he held in front of Kocaeli Kandıra Prison to draw attention to health condition of former HDP deputy chair Aysel Tuğluk.
(01/047) Political Party Executive on Trial in Van…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, the indictment of Van Public Prosecutor’s Office against HDP Van provincial co-chair Handan Karakoyun, on the grounds of ‘publicly insult’ and ‘inciting hatred and hostility’ by her social media post about Deniz Poyraz who was killed in the attack on HDP’s Izmir office, is accepted by Van Heavy Penal Court No 7 on December 28, 2021. The first trial will be held on February 3, 2022.
(01/048) Lawyers on Trial in Antep…
The final trial of the case against lawyers Adnan Erol and Ahmet Hartavi from the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) is held at Antep Heavy Penal Court No 2 on January 6, 2022. The court acquitted 2 lawyers.
(01/049) Boğaziçi University Students on Trial…
The first trial of the case against 14 people including 2 arrestees (Enis Berke Gök and Caner Perit Özen), for the protests against the rector appointed to Boğaziçi University by the President, is held at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 22 on January 7, 2022.
The indictment demands sentence for 14 people on the charges of ‘participating in unlawful meetings unarmed and not dispersing despite of warning’, ‘deprivation of liberty due to public duty’, ‘resisting to prevent an official from their duty’ and ‘hijacking or seizure of transport vehicles’.
Arrested students joined the trial from prison via sound and vision system. After defence hearings the court released 2 students with a ban on leaving the country and on judicial control conditions and adjourned the trial.
(01/050) Metin Lokumcu Case…
The trial of the case against 13 police officers including provincial security director of Artvin and district security director of Hopa, for death of Metin Lokumcu is held at Trabzon Penal Court of First Instance No 2 on January 7, 2022. Metin Lokumcu has lost his life due to excessive use of chemical gas by the police intervening to a press declaration in Hopa district of Artvin on May 31, 2021.
It is learned that defendant police officers Tayfun V. and Fatih Ü. stated that they have got the intervention orders from Hopa sub-governor back then. Another defendant police officer Saim B. answered the question regarding effects of gas bombs on health as following: “They use as lab subjects in the trainings. They fire a gas bomb in the middle of us and show us what happens. According to these trainings, the gas bomb causes a heating affect. They do not give us face masks during these trainings on purpose. The only thing I recall is the feeling of heating, and blurred vision.”
It is learned that the audience was not allowed in the courtroom on January 7, 2022. The court rejected the demand of complainant lawyers in the direction of arrest of 2 defendants (Erol D. and Taner B.) who do not attend the hearings. The court decided to invite those defendants to the next trial and to exempt other defendants from the following trials and adjourned the trial to February 18, 2022.
(01/051) Court Decision on October 10 – Ankara Massacre…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 6, 2022 that, Ankara Administrative Court No 15 has stated that “the state was at fault at the level of negligence” in October 10 Ankara Massacre and ruled that Abdül Kadir Ünlü, the applicant who was wounded in the massacre should be paid a compensation of 50,000 Turkish Liras. The Constitutional Court has ruled on September 15, 2021 that the right to an effective remedy as per the Article 40 of the Constitution was violated as the civil inspectors assigned by the Ministry of Interior mentioned some negligent acts in the report on whether adequate security measures were taken before the massacre or not.
(01/052) Ban of Access to Web Contents…
It is learned that international raid platform http://radio.garden/ is banned to access on the grounds of lack of broadcast licence, by Ankara Penal Court of Peace No 2 on January 4, 2022.
(01/053) Ban of Events in Hakkari and Van…
Hakkari Governorate made a declaration on January 4, 2022 and announced that all meetings, open-door assemblies, demonstrations, marches, sit-in protests, human chains, op-ed stands, public sessions, any kind of audio-visual activities with mobile audio-visual vehicles, hunger strikes, opening stands, collecting petitions, flying sky lanterns or balloons, commemorations, concerts, festivals, theatre plays, screening shows, firing torches, distributing leaflets, hanging banners and so on are banned for 15 days as of January 4, 2022. All events are banned in Hakkari for 592 days since June 5, 2020.
Van Governorate made a declaration on December 29, 2021 and announced that, all open-door meetings and demonstrations are banned for 15 days as of December 30, 2021. It is also announced that press declarations, sit-in protests, opening stands and tents, collecting petitions, distributing leaflets and so on will be subjected to the local authority’s permission. All events are banned in Van for 1879 days since November 21, 2016.
(01/054) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 156 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and the daily number of Covid-19 cases is 68,413 as of January 6, 2022.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 83,231 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 9,787,274 as of January 6, 2021.
[1]The reports on the human rights violations of the Documentation Center are claims unless they are certified. The claim of violation either is certified through thoroughly investigations of HRFT Documentation Center, including by judicial verdicts, and becomes a definite data or it is not included to the annual report.
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[5] Daily Human Rights Reports are prepared on the information gathered by the Documentation Center from its own network and the following dailies and internet portals: Vatan, Milliyet, Hürriyet, Habertürk, Evrensel, Birgün, Cumhuriyet, Fırat Haber Ajansı, Jinnews, ETHA, Mezopotamya Ajansı, Yurt, Yeni Yaşam, NTV, Yeni Asya, Bianet, Halkinsesi.tv, Cnnturk, Tr724, İleri Haber, Siyasi Haber, Alınteri, Kızılbayrak, Sendika.org, Yüksekova Haber, T24, Diken, Gazete Karınca, Gazete Duvar. Haber Sol, El Cezire, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, AFP.