Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
13 – 15 June 2026 Daily Human Rights Report
(06/081) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
İt was learned from news reports published on June 15, 2026, that a prisoner named Murat Yalçın was subjected to a forced strip search at the entrance to the Şırnak Type T Prison prior to a hearing in his trial, and that when he refused to comply, he was forcibly strip-searched.
(06/082) Decision to Dismiss Prosecution Regarding Allegations of Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It was learned from news reports published on June 13, 2026, that the Elazığ Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a decision to dismiss the case regarding a criminal complaint filed against correctional officers at Elazığ No. 2 High-Security Prison concerning allegations of torture and other ill-treatment suffered by a Syrian citizen named Ömer Cuma Salih on July 7, 2025.
(06/083) Person Subjected to Physical Violence by Police in Iğdır…
It was reported that on June 12, 2026, in Iğdır, one person was subjected to physical violence by two traffic police officers. The person’s name could not be determined. The Ministry of the Interior announced that an administrative investigation into the matter had been launched.
(06/084) Gendarmerie Intervention and Armed Attack During a Protest in Edirne…
On June 12, 2026, gendarmes blocked the path of Özşen Mining workers who were attempting to attend the President’s opening ceremony in Edirne and intervened against the workers using physical violence. It was reported that at least two people were detained as a result of the intervention.
The Independent Mining Workers’ Union announced on June 14, 2026, that three shots were fired from a firearm at Özşen Mining workers who were continuing their protest inside the facility, and that a second attack was carried out by unidentified individuals against the protesting workers and their families. It was reported that no one was killed or injured as a result of the attacks.
(06/085) Police Intervention at a Protest in Ankara…
On June 13, 2026, police intervened using tear gas during a march organized by the Ankara Women’s Platform in the Çankaya district of Ankara in protest of the 12th Judicial Package and regulations regarding alimony rights. Despite the intervention, after the group dispersed following a press statement, police intervened once again using tear gas and physically detained four people, including Sevinç Hocaoğulları, President of Halkevleri. Three individuals (Şevin Özden, Sevinç Hocaoğulları, and Defne Atik) were released the same day after giving their statements to the police, while one person (Buse Uçer), who was taken to Hacettepe Hospital, was released on June 14, 2026, after receiving treatment and giving her statement at the Ankara Provincial Police Department.
(06/086) Police Intervention in Protests in Ankara…
On June 14, 2026, police intervened in a planned march from the Ministry of National Education to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) organized by the Private Sector Teachers’ Union in Ankara and detained 41 people—including Union President Eren Edebali and Fırat Çoban, the Ankara Provincial Chair of the Turkish Labor Party—using physical force and handcuffing them behind their backs. It was reported that at least two people were injured during the intervention. Those detained were released the same day.
On June 15, 2026, the Private Sector Teachers’ Union organized a press conference at Kurtuluş Park in the Çankaya district of Ankara ’s Çankaya district. Police intervened using physical force and tear gas against those gathered for a press conference scheduled for June 15, 2026. The police detained at least 30 people, including Eren Edebali, General President of the Private Sector Teachers’ Union, and Kemal Irmak, General President of Eğitim-Sen, using physical force. It was reported that Kemal Irmak, General President of Eğitim-Sen, has been released. It was also reported that police set up a barricade in front of the Enerji Hotel and did not allow union members planning to participate in the press conference to leave the hotel.
(06/087) Interventions, Detentions, and Bans Targeting Pride Month…
It was leamed from news reports on June 14, 2026, that a press conference and other events planned to take place in the Kuşadası district of Aydın as part of Pride Week had been banned by the District Governor’s Office.
Police intervened in the march held in Kuşadası on June 14, 2026, despte the ban, and detained six people using physical force and handcuffing them behind their backs. Those detained were released on June 15, 2026, following their questioning at the police station.
(06/088) Mayor and Others Detained in Istanbul…
On June 12, 2026, 17 people, including Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu, were detained as part of an investigation targeting the Silivri District Municipality in Istanbul.
(06/089) Political Party Members Detained in Diyarbakır…
On June 12, 2026, two members of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) were detained as part of an investigation centered in Diyarbakır. The names of those detained are: Fethiye Ok and Soner Çiçek.
It was reported that a 24-hour restriction on lawyer access was imposed on those detained. On June 15, 2026, the two individuals were arrested by the magistrate’s court to which they were referred.
(06/090) Association Members Detained as Part of Investigations Centered in Eskişehir and Zonguldak…
On June 12, 2026, as part of two investigations centered in Eskişehir and Zonguldak, operations were conducted in eight provinces (Balıkesir, Eskişehir, Karabük, Kastamonu, Mardin, Muğla, Van, and Zonguldak), resulting in the detention of at least 14 members of the Revolutionary Youth Associations (DGD), the Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF), and the Revolutionary Students’ Union were detained.
It was reported that a 24-hour restriction on lawyer access was imposed on those detained.
(06/091) The Trial of Journalists in Istanbul…
The trial, filed at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No. 54 against journalists Barış Pehlivan, Kürşad Oğuz, Suat Toktaş, Seda Selek, and Serhan Asker—on the grounds that they shared phone conversations belonging to an expert witness mentioned in a press statement by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—resumed on June 12, 2026. The indictment seeks to punish the journalists for the crime of “eavesdropping on and recording conversations between individuals.” The court adjourned the hearing until November 20, 2026.
Barış Pehlivan, Kürşad Oğuz, Seda Selek, Suat Toktaş, and Serhan Asker were taken into custody on January 29, 2025; four of the journalists were released the same day under judicial supervision, while Suat Toktaş was detained on January 30, 2025, and released on March 5, 2025.
(06/092) Trial in Urfa Involving a Journalist and Political Party Officials…
Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporter Ceylan Şahinli, along with Bekir Karakeçili, former co-chair of the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Urfa; Zozan Ayhan, former co-chair of the DEM Party in Antep; and Şirin Gürbüz, former co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) former Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair Şirin Gürbüz—were charged in connection with a press conference held in the Suruç district of Urfa regarding the deaths of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in Syria. The trial, filed at the Suruç Criminal Court of First Instance No. 4, began on June 15, 2026. The indictment seeks the conviction of four individuals on charges of “violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.” The court adjourned the hearing until October 21, 2026.
(06/093) Journalist Under Investigation…
It was learned from news reports on June 13, 2026, that an investigation has been launched against Halk TV reporter Umut Taştan, who was covering the protests by Özşen workers and had descended into the mine where the workers were on a hunger strike.
(06/094) The Trial of an LGBT+ Activist in Istanbul…
The final hearing in the case filed at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No. 7 against LGBTI+ activist İris Mozalar—who was detained during a police intervention at the 23rd Feminist Night March held in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district on March 8, 2025—took place on June 9, 2026. The court acquitted Iris Mozalar of the charge of “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations No. 2911.”
Of the 112 people detained during the police intervention at the 23rd Feminist Night March, a case had been filed only against Iris Mozalar.
(06/095) The Trial of an LGBT+ Activist in Istanbul…
The trial of LGBTI+ activist Iris Mozalar—who was detained during the police intervention at the March 8, 2025, Feminist Night March—on charges of “insulting the President” continued on June 15, 2026, at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No. 76. The court adjourned the hearing until September 23, 2026.
(06/096) Musicians Under Investigation…
According to news reports on June 12, 2026, it was learned that an investigation was launched against musician Şeyhmus Temel and his 15-year-old daughter for singing Kurdish songs on stage during the Newroz celebration held in the Mazıdağı district of Mardin, and that the two individuals went to the Mazıdağı District Police Department to give their statements.
[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.