Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
1 March 2024 Daily Human Rights Report
(03/001) Child Who Lost Her Life in Urfa…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 29, 2024, that a child named Zeynep Eren (9, K) lost her life and Tuğba Eren was wounded when a police car hit them in the Haliliye district of Urfa.
(03/002) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Istanbul…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 29, 2024, that Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Party Assembly member Sıtkı Güngör, who was detained in a house raid in Istanbul on February 27, 2024, was subjected to reverse handcuffing and physical violence of the police officers during detention and transfer to hospital.
(03/003) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Hakkari…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 1, 2024, that, soldiers placed an X-ray device at the entrance of the Düve village in the Derecik district of Hakkari. It is also claimed that people in the village were subjected to strip search and their ID cards were seized.
(03/004) March 31st Elections…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 27, 2024, that the election stand of Barbaros Baltacı, mayor candidate of Saadet Party for Sinop, on Sakarya Street in the central district of Sinop, was removed by municipality authorities.
It is learned from the news coverage of February 29, 2024, that the car of H.B., a local mukhtar candidate for Olukbaşı village in the Durağan district of Sinop, was blocked by unidentified people and H.B. was attacked with an axe and a gun. It is reported that H.B. was wounded in various parts of his body and his treatment continues at Sinop Atatürk State Hospital.
(03/005) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan not Responded to…
It is learned that the appeal made on March 1, 2024, to the chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by families and tutelary of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, and Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in Imralı Prison, to visit them was not responded to.
(03/006) Police Prevention of the Justice Watch of Lawyers in Istanbul…
On February 29, 2024, the police prevented the press statement of lawyers in front of Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse about the landslide in the gold mine in the İliç district of Erzincan, where 9 workers were trapped. It is stated that the police prevented the press members who wanted to watch the lawyers staging a sit-in protest against the police prevention and said that the lawyers would be identified one by one and a criminal complaint would be filed against them.
(03/007) People Arrested in Izmir…
Socialist Women’s Assemblies (SKM) General Spokesperson Tanya Kara, SKM General Assembly member Meliha Kayacı, Aziz Yayla, Cengiz Kırlangıç and Selda Aydoğdu, who were detained On February 27, 2024, in house raids through an Izmir based investigation, were arrested by the criminal peace judgeship on February 29, 2024, on the allegations of ‘financing an illegal organization’.
(03/008) Party Member Arrested in Kocaeli Due to Social Media Posts…
Dilan Ergül, a member of Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) who was detained in Kocaeli on February 29, 2024, for her social media posts, was arrested by Kocaeli Criminal Peace Judgeship No 1 on March 1, 2024, on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’.
(03/009) Lawyer Detained in Diyarbakır…
Lawyer Necat Çiçek, board member of the Diyarbakır branch of Lawyers’ Association for Freedom (ÖHD), was detained in a house raid on March 1, 2024, as part of an investigation by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The reason for the detention could not be learned. The lawyer was referred to the Criminal Peace Judgeship with a request for arrest and was released on the same day on judicial control condition.
(03/010) Journalists Detained in Van…
Lokman Gezgin, Arif Aslan, and Oktay Candemir, journalists who were detained on February 27, 2024, in Van in house raids on the allegations of ‘financing an illegal organization’; were released by the Criminal Peace Judgeship to which they were referred on March 1, 2024.
(03/011) The Case of Prison Massacres…
The interim hearing of the lawsuit filed against 196 persons who were in charge of Gendarmerie Command at the time, in relation to the deaths of 12 people and injuries of 29 people in Bayrampaşa Prison during the operation called “Return to Life” which was organized in 20 prisons on 19 December 2000 in order to ensure the transition to F Type prisons and to put an end to hunger strikes, was held on 26 February 2024 at Bakırköy Heavy Penal Court No 13. Saadettin Tantan, the Minister of Interior of the time, was heard as a witness at the interim hearing, which was closed by court order and the lawyers of the complainants were not informed. The court adjourned the hearing to April 1, 2024.
(03/012) The Case of Uğur Kurt…
The final hearing of the retrial of the case on the death of Uğur Kurt, who was shot in the head by police officer S.K. while he was waiting to attend the funeral of a relative at a Cemevi in Okmeydanı, Istanbul, was held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 11 on March 1, 2024. The court sentenced police officer S.K. to 2 years and 6 months for ‘causing death by negligence’.
Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against police officer S.K. on the charge of ‘negligently causing death’ in relation to the death of Uğur Kurt by being shot in the head and sent the case to Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 85. Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 85 sent the case to Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 11 on the grounds that the crime was within the scope of ‘intentional killing’. The court sentenced police officer S.K. to a judicial fine of 12,100 liras on the charge of ‘causing death by negligence’. The Constitutional Court (AYM) ruled on March 23, 2023, that Uğur Kurt’s right to life was violated and that police officer S.K. should be retried.
(03/013) Former Bar Association Chair on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar, former chair of Diyarbakır Bar Association, for sharing the minutes of the search conducted in his office, continued on February 29, 2024, at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5. The indictment demands sentence for Mehmet Emin Aktar on the charge of ‘targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism’. The court adjourned the trial to May 23, 2024.
(03/014) Journalist on Trial in Adana…
The final trial of the case against journalist İbrahim Karakaş, on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’, was held at Adana Heavy Penal Court No 11 on February 29, 2024, following the reversal of 9 years and 9 months sentence given by Adana Heavy Penal Court No 11 on August 12, 2021. The court sentenced journalist İbrahim Karakaş to 6 years and 10 months on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’ and imposed judicial control measures such as a ban on leaving the city and abroad and giving signature, and released the journalist.
İbrahim Karakaş was detained and arrested on November 4, 2020, on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’.
(03/015) Journalist on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against Dicle Müftüoğlu, co-chair of Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) and editor of Mezopotamya Agency (MA), continued on February 29, 2024, at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5. The indictment demands a sentence for the journalist on the charges of ‘establishing and leading an illegal organization’ and ‘being a member of an illegal organization’. Dicle Müftüoğlu attended the hearing via SEGBİS from Ankara Sincan Women’s Prison. The court ruled for the release of Dicle Müftüoğlu, imposed a judicial control measure of a ban on leaving the country, and adjourned the trial to June 13, 2024.
Dicle Müftüoğlu was arrested on May 3, 2023.
(03/016) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against journalist İhsan Çaralan, on the grounds of participating in the “Editor-in-Chief on Watch” campaign in support of Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed down by a state of emergency decree, was held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 14 on February 29, 2024. The indictment demands a sentence for the journalist on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’. The court adjourned the hearing to July 9, 2024.İbrahim Karakaş was detained and arrested on November 4, 2020, on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’.
(03/017) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against journalist Furkan Karabay, upon the complaint of the President’s former lawyer due to a news report he published, continued on February 29, 2024, at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 2. The prosecutor declared his final opinion on the case and demanded the journalist be sentenced for “slander in a chain” and “public insult in a chain”. The court adjourned the hearing to June 6, 2024.
(03/018) Journalist on Trial…
It is learned that the sentence of 2 years 9 months and 22 days given to journalist Zehra Doğan on March 2, 2017, by Mardin Heavy Penal Court No 2 for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’ based on her news reports and social media posts between 2015 and 2016, which was approved by Gaziantep Regional Court of Appeals Penal Department No 3 on May 9, 2017, was reversed by Penal Department No 3 of the Court of Cassation on the grounds of illegality.
(03/019) People on Trial in Ankara…
10 people (B. O., Y. A. G., İ. K., İ. C. A., İ. K., İ. K., İ. A., U. B. Ö., M. Y. Y. Y., M. M. Ö., M. M. Ö. and D. Ç.) who were detained during the ‘Democracy Watch’ organized separately in front of the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) and the Ankara Provincial and District Election Boards regarding the alleged irregularities in the May 14, 2023, elections, on charges of ‘violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations’ were accepted by Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No. 27. The first hearing of the case will be held on September 17, 2024.
(03/020) People on Trial in Istanbul…
The final trial of the case against 21 people on the charge of ‘violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations No 2911’ for the peaceful assembly they participated in on November 25, 2018, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, was held at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 36 on February 29, 2024. The court acquitted 21 people on the charge of ‘violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations No 2911’ and sentenced 1 person to 6 months on the charge of ‘resisting to prevent a duty’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(03/021) The Constitutional Court Decision on Books Sent to Prisoners…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 1, 2024, that the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court (AYM) ruled in the decision of ‘Serdar Güzelçay and others’ dated December 21, 2023, that it is a violation of rights to deny books to prisoners in prisons, which are not subject to a confiscation order and a ban on sales.
[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.