Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
22 February 2024 Daily Human Rights Report
(02/208) Child Subjected to Torture and Other Ill-Treatment by the Police in Konya…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 21, 2024, that a child named S.T. (17, M) was subjected to physical violence by the police in the Seydişehir district of Konya on February 20, 2024, for disobeying the stop warning while driving his father’s car. S.T. and his family obtained a medical report documenting the physical violence and filed a complaint against the police officers. It is reported that the prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation into the incident.
(02/209) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 22, 2024, that the clothes sent to a prisoner named Fikret Erden in Kırıkkale F Type High-Security Prison were delivered after 3 months and the food given to prisoners was insufficient.
(02/210) Prevention of Right to Access Health Services in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 22, 2024, that a prisoner named Fikret Erden in Kırıkkale F Type High-Security Prison was not given his medication.
It is learned from the news coverage of February 21, 2024, that in Adana Kürkçüler F Type Prison, hospital transfers are delayed, prisoners do not go to the hospital due to forced oral searches during transfers, and some prisoners do not take their prescribed medication as they are only given in single doses.
(02/211) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan not Responded to…
It is learned that the appeal made by lawyers on February 22, 2024, to visit their clients PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım, and Veysi Aktaş in İmralı Prison was not responded to by Bursa Public Prosecutor’s Office.
(02/212) Police Intervention against a Peaceful Demonstration in Istanbul…
Istanbul University students, who were going to hold a forum on February 21, 2024, to protest the decision to open Istanbul University campus to visitors, were blockaded by the police and prevented from entering the university. It is learned that some students were injured during the police intervention with pepper gas. It is reported that no one was detained after the intervention.
(02/213) Former MP and Others on Trial in Mardin…
The final trial of the case against 15 people (Nazım Kök, Davut Bozan, İpek Güneş, Ayşe Bozan, Ziver Gümüş, İsa Durç, Lokman Ekenek, Abdulkadir Aktaş, Erdal Irmak, Davut Şahin, Musa Alkan, Sedat Dağ, Mesut Amak) including People’s Democratic Party (HDP) former Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım, was held at Mardin Heavy Penal Court No 2 on February 21, 2024. The court sentenced Lokman Ekenek to 7 years and 6 months, Davut Şahin to 7 years and 6 months, Nazım Kök to 7 years and 6 months, Ziver Gümüş to 7 years and 6 months, Davut Bozan to 7 years and 6 months, İpek Güneş to 7 years and 6 months, Ayşe Bozan to 7 years and 6 months for ‘being an illegal organization member’, Musa Alkan was sentenced to 6 years 10 months and 15 days, İsa Durç to 6 years 10 months and 15 days, Genco Akman to 6 years and 3 months, Sedat Dağ to 6 years and 3 months, Gülser Yıldırım to 6 years and 3 months, Mesut Amak to 6 years and 3 months, Abdulkadir Aktaş to 6 years and 3 months and Erdal Irmak to 6 years and 3 months.
(02/214) Journalists on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against United States of America (USA) Vice News reporter Jacob Philip John Gingell Hanrahan, cameraman Philip John Pendlebury, interpreter Mohamed İsmael Rasool and driver Abdurrahman Direkçi continued on February 21, 2024 at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 8. The court adjourned the hearing to June 26, 2024.
Vice News reporter Jacop Philip John Gıngell Hanrahan, cameraman Philip John Pendlebury, interpreter Mohamed İsmael Rasool and driver Abdurrahman Direkçi were detained on 28 August 2015 following a raid on the hotel where they were staying in Diyarbakır to make a documentary on the events in Cizre, Silopi, Nusaybin and Sur where curfews were declared. The British journalists and the translator were arrested on the allegations of “aiding an illegal organization” while the driver was released pending trial. The British journalists were released on September 3, 2015 and subsequently deported. The Iraqi interpreter was released on January 4, 2016.
(02/215) Journalist on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against JINNEWS Editor-in-Chief Sofya Alağaş continued on February 22, 2024, at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5. The indictment demands a sentence for the journalist on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’. The court decided to continue judicial measures against the journalist and adjourned the hearing to June 11, 2024.
(02/216) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against journalist Hayko Bağdat, based on his articles and social media posts between 2014-2018, continued on February 21, 2024, at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 50. The indictment demands the journalist be sentenced on the charges of ‘insulting the President’ and ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility’. The prosecutor declared his final opinion on the case and demanded jail sentence from 2 years and 7 months to 10 years and 6 months for the journalist on the charge of ‘chain insulting the President’ and acquittal on the charge of ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility’. The court adjourned the hearing to July 10, 2024.
(02/217) Journalist on Trial due to Social Media Posts…
The first trial of the case against journalist Pelin Özkaptan, for 2 social media posts she made in 2019 and 2022, started on February 22, 2024, at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 13. The indictment demands a sentence for the journalist on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’. The court adjourned the hearing to May 28, 2024.
(02/218) People on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The final hearing of the case against Peace Mothers Assembly member Dilşah Özgen and 8 people (E.K., H.K., H.S., İ.E., K.D., N.E., M.Y., E.A.) was held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 8 on February 21, 2024. The indictment demands sentence for 9 people on the charge of ‘knowingly and willingly aiding an illegal organization’. The court acquitted E.A. and İ.E. and sentenced the other 7 people to 2 years and 1 month each for ‘knowingly and willingly aiding an illegal organization’.
(02/219) Fan Group Manager on Trial in Aksaray…
On February 21, 2024, the final hearing of the case against E.S., the manager of the fan group ’68 Ergenekon’ who threatened Amedspor before the football match between Amedspor and 68 Aksaray Belediyespor on September 17, 2023, was held at Aksaray Penal Court of First Instance No 5. The indictment demands sentence for E.S. on the charge of ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility’. The court sentenced E.S. to 10 months imprisonment and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(02/220) Indictment Prepared against a Lawyer due to Social Media Posts…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 22, 2024, that the Istanbul Beykoz Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against lawyer Feyza Altun, who was detained on February 19, 2024, on the grounds of ‘publicly inciting a section of the public with different characteristics in terms of social class, race, religion, sect or region to hatred and hostility against another section’ through a social media post and was released on judicial control conditions, on the charge of ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility’.
(02/221) MPs Prevented from Speaking in their Mother Language…
On February 21, 2024, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Mardin MP Beritan Güneş Altın’s microphone was turned off for speaking in Kurdish by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Istanbul MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Celal Adan.
On the same day, the microphone of Republican People’s Party (CHP) Rize MP Tahsin Ocaklı, who took the floor in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and wanted to make part of his speech in Laz, was turned off by Deputy Speaker Celal Adan.
On the same day, CHP Istanbul MP Türkan Elçi’s microphone was turned off by Deputy Speaker Celal Adan on the grounds of Kurdish words in her speech.
(02/222) People Whose Families were Phoned for Attending a Press Statement in Ankara…
According to the news coverage of February 22, 2024, the criminal complaint filed by KCDP on December 14, 2023, against the families of at least 13 members of the Platform to Stop Femicide (KCDP) who participated in the press statements held in Ankara on November 25, 2023, as part of the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, was concluded by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Science Crimes Bureau on January 30, 2024. The Prosecutor’s Office ruled that there were no grounds for prosecution due to lack of evidence.
(02/223) Concert Banned in Bingöl…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 21, 2024, that the concert of Metin and Kemal Kahraman in Bingöl for February 21, World Mother Language Day was banned by the Governorate.
(02/224) RTÜK Fines against TV Channels…
From the news coverage of February 21, 2024, it was learned that the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issued a warning to NOW TV for broadcasting a news article titled ‘To whom will the Ministry of National Education hand the children over’ in the program ‘Merve Yıldırım ile Benden Söylemesi’ (Merve Yıldırım ile Benden Söylemesi) on the grounds of broadcasting contrary to the principle of truthfulness, Journalist Rıza Zelyut’s criticism that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is dividing the country into camps by taking advantage of ethnic and religious identities in the program ‘On the Trail of Truth’ was issued a fine 2 times on the grounds that it violated the principle of truthfulness and hurt national feelings, and DEM Party MP Ali Bozan’s statements “We say that we will enter the elections with our own candidates in Kurdistan. ” and “CHP candidates were supported to protect their own municipalities and gains in Kurdistan and to regress the AK Party-MHP fascism in Turkey” were in violation of Law No. 6112, Flash News was given 3 program suspensions and separate administrative fines.
[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.