Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
18 February 2025 Daily Human Rights Report
(02/172) Persons Subjected to Torture and Ill-Treatment by the Police in Batman…
It is learned that 3 people [E.M. (16, m), Yusuf Mendeş and Sipan Yusuf] were subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police during a house raid in Batman on February 18, 2025. It is also claimed in the news reports that the police pointed a gun at a 3-year-old child in the house and forced him to the ground.
Yusuf Mendeş stated the following in his statement to the press “They took Sipan to a dark room without giving any reason for detention. They dragged him and took him to that room. A screaming sound came from inside. My mother tried to intervene. In the dark room, they beat Sipan with the butt of a gun and kicked and slapped him. As if that was not enough, they pointed a gun at my 3-year-old brother and asked him to lie on the ground (…) They also beat my brother. When I said ‘What are you doing, he is a child’, 5 policemen attacked me (…) The last time we saw Sipan, he was covered in blood. Then they took him away.”
(02/173) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from news coverage of February 17, 2025 that Nazım Şafak Korkmaz and Ulaş İnci, prisoners in Kırıkkale F Type Prison were subjected to physical violence of the wardens. It is also stated in the news reports that 2 prisoners were taken from the room they were kept in and were first taken to a cell called “padded room” and then they were put in single rooms.
(02/174) No Answer to the Application for Meeting with Abdullah Öcalan…
It is learned that the appeal made on February 18, 2025 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa in order to visit PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in İmralı Prison was not responded by Bursa Public Prosecutor’s Office.
(02/175) Detained People Through the Investigation Against HDK in Istanbul…
On February 18, 2025, 52 people including members and executives of different political parties and 4 journalists are detained in house raids covering 9 cities through an Istanbul based investigation against Peoples’ Democratic Congress.
The names of those detained are as follows: KaosGL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar, journalist Ercüment Akdeniz, journalist Ender İmrek, journalist Eflif Akgül, musician Pınar Aydınlar, painter Taner Güven, screenwriter Ayşe Bengi, Revolutionary Socialist Workers’ Party (DSİP) Co-Chair Şenol Karakaş, Labor Party (EMEP) Istanbul Provincial Chair Sema Barbaros, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) FMK members Mehmet Saltoğlu and Semiha Şahin, Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP) PM members Halit Elçi and Ahmet Saymadi, Green Left Party MYK member Naci Sönmez, Ümit Şahin, Aynur Cengiz, Melih Kayhan Pala, Esengül Demir, Atilla Özdoğan, Mustafa Mayda, Mehmet Turp, Erkin Barın Göylüler, Hacı Aslan, Alya Akkuş, İzzetin Yaman, Dilek Pos, Kardelen Taş, Ahmet Eniş, Melek Kızılocak, Osman Zorba, Nurcan Kaya, Şeref Can Dilaver, Filiz Çay, Yıldız İmrek.
It is learned that the investigation is subject to confidentiality and 24-hour restriction on lawyers.
(02/176) Detained People in Batman…
On February 17, 2025, 2 people (Sipan Yusuf and Civan Tan) are detained in house raids in Batman. The reason for detention could not be learned.
(02/177) People Detained in Gürz-46 Operations…
The Ministry of Interior announced on February 18, 2025 that in the last 5 days, 51 provinces (Adıyaman, Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Ağrı, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Bayburt, Balıkesir, Bingöl, Bitlis, Bursa, Bolu, Çanakkale, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Gümüşhane, Hakkâri, Hatay, Iğdır, İstanbul, İzmir, Kars, In Gürz-46 operations in Karaman, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Muş, Nevşehir, Niğde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tekirdağ, Yozgat and Van, 282 people were detained on allegations of being a member of the organization, financing the organization, participating in protests and making propaganda for the organization.
(02/178) Journalist on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The final trial of the case against journalist Beritan Canözer, for her social media posts on curfews in Sur district of Diyarbakır, is held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 4 on February 18, 2025. The court sentenced Beritan Canözer to 1 year and 3 months for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(02/179) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
On February 18, 2025, it is learned from news coverage of February 18, 2025 that Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against journalist Özlem Gürses for the statements she made on her Youtube channel about political developments and ongoing conflicts in Syria. The indictment demands sentence for journalist on the charge of ‘denigrating state institutions and organs’.
(02/180) Writer on Trial in Istanbul…
The indictment prepared by Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against writer Çiğdem Bayraktar Ör for a social media post she made was accepted by Istanbul Anatolian Criminal Court of First Instance on February 18, 2025. The indictment demands sentence for Çiğdem Bayraktar Ör on the charge of ‘insulting the President’.
Çiğdem Bayraktar Ör was detained on January 30, 2025 and was arrested by the criminal court of peace on January 31, 2025.
(02/181) Artist on Trial in İstanbul…
The trial of musician Cihan Çelik, which was filed at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court on the grounds of the song ‘Koçgiri Başladı Harba’ that he sang at an event he attended, was held on February 18, 2025. The court sentenced Cihan Çelik to 1 year and 3 months in prison for the crime of ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organization’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(02/182) Union Leader on Trial in Tunceli…
The final hearing of the case against Rojda Çiftçi, the Dersim Branch Secretary of the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim Sen), which was filed at the Tunceli Heavy Penal Court No2, was held on February 18, 2025. The court sentenced Rojda Çiftçi to 6 years and 3 months in prison for the crime of ‘being a member of an illegal organization.'”
(02/183) Professional Chamber Executive Under Investigation in İzmir…
It was learned that Aykut Akdemir, the İzmir Provincial Coordination Board Secretary of the Union of Turkish Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), gave a statement on February 18, 2025, as part of the investigation launched by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’ due to the Kurdish slogans chanted at the Roboski and Maraş commemorations held in İzmir.
(02/184) Deputies About Whom Indictments Have Been Prepared…
It was learned from the news in the press on February 17, 2025, that a total of 21 indictments prepared about 18 deputies with the request for the removal of their immunity were sent to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).
Deputies about whom indictments have been prepared:
- TBMM Deputy President and CHP Denizli MP Gülizar Biçer Karaca
- CHP Deputy Group Leader and Mersin MP Ali Mahir Başarır
- CHP Aydın MP Süleyman Bülbül
- TİP İstanbul MP Sera Kadıgil
- CHP Ankara MP Gamze Taşcıer
- CHP İzmir MP Sevda Erdan Kılıç
- CHP Ordu MP Seyit Torun
- CHP İzmir MP Ümit Özlale
- CHP İstanbul MP Cemal Enginyurt (4 fezleke)
- CHP Kahramanmaraş MP Ali Öztunç
- CHP Malatya MP Veli Ağbaba
- CHP İzmir MP Mahir Polat
- CHP Adana MP Burhanettin Bulut
- DEM Parti Co-Chair and Adana MP Tulay Hatımoğulları Oruç
- DEM Parti Diyarbakır MP Berdan Öztürk
- DEM Parti Diyarbakır MP Ceylan Akça Cupolo
- DEM Parti İzmir MP Burcugül Çubuk
Bağımsız Ankara MP Yüksel Arslan.
[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.