Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
10 – 12 July 2021 Daily Human Rights Report
(07/103) Operations and Attacks…
It is learned from the news coverage of July 9, 2021 that, 3 HPG militants died in an air operation of Turkish Armed Forces to Qandil area of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government on June 16, 2021.
(07/104) Asylum Seekers Died in Van…
It is learned that a bus carrying asylum seekers crashed on July 11, 2021 in Muradiye district of Van killing 12 people and injuring 20 people.
(07/105) Torture and Ill-Treatment to Lawyer in Adana…
It is learned that Şehmus Gündoğdu, a lawyer who videotapes discriminatory practice of traffic police officers at Adana city entrance on July 7, 2021 was subjected to physical violence of the police.
It is reported that 2 lawyers from Adana Bar Association Lawyers’ Right Center who went to the police station to support lawyer Şehmus Gündoğdu, were forced out of the station by the police.
(07/106) Racist Attack in Konya…
It is learned from the news coverage of July 10, 2021 that, a Kurdish family in Bahçeşehir neighbourhood of Meram district of Konya was attacked by a racist group on May 12, 2021. It is reported that 1 person (Metin Dedeoğulları) had cerebral hemorrhage and 6 other people got injured in the attack.
Barış Dedeoğulları, a family member who was attacked, stated the following: “On May 12, at around 10 p.m. a group of 60 people entered into the yard while we were altogether in home, and they attacked us with threats like ‘We are the greywolves, we will not let you live here’. My brother had a brain hemorrage after the attack, he was kept in intensive care unit for 3 days. My sister got severely injured and now she has a metal implant in his arm after staying in hospital for 4 days. She will never be able to use her left hand again. My 66-year-old father has stitches on his head and has malunion fracture on the wrist. I and my two others sisters got severely injured too.”
It is stated in the news reports that 6 people were arrested in relation to the attack while 4 people were released on judicial control conditions.
(07/107) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of July 9, 2021 that, 20 prisoners who were transferred from Antalya L Type Prison to S Type Prison were subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the correction officers for they reject strip search at the entrance.
It is learned from the news coverage of July 9, 2021 that, in Mersin Tarsus T Type Prison No 3, the number of books per prisoner is limited to 8, the prisoners are not given Yeni Yaşam and Evrensel newspapers and adequate amounts of face masks, disinfectants and cleaning supplies are not provided to prisoners.
It is learned from the news coverage of July 10, 2021 that, Zozan Kabişen, a prisoner who has been subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the correction officers in Ağrı Patnos L Type Prison, was not taken to a hospital and was put in a solitary cell although she was injured. It is also stated in the news reports that, other prisoners in Zozan Kabişen’s ward were subjected to death threats of the correction officers who are reported to say “This is our dump site, we can do anything to anyone whenever we want. We could kill you and bury in concrete if we had wanted”.
It is learned from the news coverage of July 10, 2021 that 4 prisoners (Ömer Toluk, Zafer Bahadır, Mustafa Özer and Mehmet Emin Ado) were transferred from Adana Ceyhan M Type Prison to Adana Kürkçüler T Type Prison under coercion. It is reported that prisoners were subjected to physical violence during transfer and their basic needs were not being met in the ward they were put in Adana Kürkçüler T Type Prison.
(07/108) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan Not Responded…
It is learned that the appeal made on July 9, 2021 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyers in order to visit their client was not responded.
(07/109) Police Intervention to Workers’ Protest in Bursa…
The police intervened the protest of Destek automotive factory workers who were dismissed for union membership on July 10, 2021. It is learned that 7 workers who were injured in the intervention were admitted to hospital.
(07/110) Police Prevention to Protest About Hunger Strikes in Prison…
The police prevented the press declaration of Peace Mothers Assembly in Batman on July 10, 2021; which was held to draw attention to indefinite hunger strikes that started on November 27, 2020 in prisons to demand an end to isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. It is learned that the police did not allow the bus carrying Peace Mothers from Diyarbakır into the city.
(07/111) Police Intervention to Commemorations in Istanbul and Ankara…
The police intervened the members of Suruç Families Initiative, who wanted to march to Ankara after the press declaration of “Justice for Suruç, justice for all”, held outside of Kadıköy municipality building in Istanbul on July 9, 2021. The police detained 5 people (Volkan Uyar, Ümmühan Özdemir, Yaren Tuncer, Emrah Topaloğlu, Mustafa Kazak). Detained people are released after statement procedures on the same day.
The police intervened the march of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF) to commemorate those who lost their lives in Suruç; on Istiklal Street of Istanbul on July 10, 2021 and detained 6 people by using physical violence and handcuffing them. 5 of the detainees are released after statement procedures on the same day while 1 person is still under custody through another investigation.
The police stopped the bus of Suruç Families Initiative who were on their way to Ankara for the commemoration on July 10, 2021 and used pepper spray on people as they get off the bus. The police detained 13 people who were released after statement procedures on the same day. Yaren Tuncer, one of the detainees, stated the following: “I was being beaten and some water with pepper spray splashed on my face. It filled in my left eye and prevented my vision for a while. I was being dragged on the ground at this time, I was kicked and pushed into the car while hearing sexist curses on me (…) One of the police officers kept on pulling my hair and kicking me; one of them clasped my neck and choked me with his arm. He choked even more as I said ‘I cannot breathe’ and used sexist swears. I could not stand anymore and he stopped choking me, took out of the bus; and then I was put in another detention bus with torture.”
(07/112) Arrested People in Adıyaman for Participating in Protests…
On July 9, 2021, 16 people are detained in house raids in Adıyaman, for they participated in the protests against the legislative proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which bans tobacco trade without licensee or required notice.
10 of the detainees are arrested by the court on the charges of ‘preventing a public officer from his duty’ and ‘prevention of freedom of travel’; while 6 people are released on judicial control conditions on July 12, 2021.
(07/113) Detained Association Chair and Other People in Istanbul…
On July 3, 2021, 26 people including Religious Scholars Association (DİAY-DER) chair Ekrem Baran and Democratic Islam Congress (DIK) member Mehmet Nas have been detained in house raids in Istanbul. 9 of them (Ali Fuat Hatip, Aydın Ayhan, Enver Karabey, Mehmet İnan, Mehmet Emin Aslan, Nezir Erdemci, Ekrem Baran, Hafik Tunç and Sefa Mehmetoğlu) are arrested by the court while 17 people are released on judicial control conditions on July 9, 2021.
(07/114) Detained HDP Member in Batman…
Gülistan Yılmaz Diyar, a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Assembly, is detained at the police control point at Batman city entrance is detained on a warrant on July 10, 2021. Gülistan Yılmaz is released after statement procedures on the same day.
(07/115) Detained People in Mardin…
2 of 11 people (Ayla Kaya and Atiye Yılmaz) who were detained in Nusaybin district of Mardin on July 6, 2021, are arrested by the court on July 9, 2021. 9 people are released provided that 3 of them will be on judicial control conditions.
(07/116) Detained People in Istanbul and Giresun for Social Media Posts…
1 person (S. K.) who was detained in Istanbul, for social media posts about Sedat Peker, is arrested by the court on July 9, 2021.
It is learned that a child who was detained on July 9, 2021 in Giresun for the same reason is released after statement procedures on the same day.
(07/117) Investigation for Social Media Posts…
It is learned that an investigation was launched against Özgür Aybaş, head of the Package Stores Platform of Turkey, for his social media posts and that he made his official statement on July 9, 2021.
(07/118) Investigation on ‘Insulting the President’ Against Human Rights Defender and Other People in Izmir…
It is learned on July 12, 2021 that, Izmir Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against 3 people including Aytül Uçar, medical secretary of the HRFT in Izmir, on the charge of ‘insulting the President’. 3 people (Aytül Uçar, Emine Akbaba and İrem Çelikbaş) were detained by the police intervening the protest against the new rector appointed to Boğaziçi University, held in Izmir on February 3, 2021.
(07/119) Journalists on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against 6 journalists (Ömer Çelik, news director and Metin Yoksu, reporter of Dicle News Agency which was closed down by a state of emergency decree; Tunca Öğreten, former editor of Diken news portal; Mahir Kanaat, Birgün newspaper employee; Eray Sargın, editor in chief of Yolculuk newspaper; Derya Okatan, Etkin News Agency news director) is held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 29 on July 9, 2021.
The indictment demands sentence for 6 journalists on the charges of ‘being an illegal organisation member’, ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and ‘blocking and breaking the information system, changing or destroying the data’, for reporting on the e-mails of Berat Albayrak, Minister of Energy and Natural Sources which were hacked by Redhack and then published on the internet.
The court decided to continue judicial control conditions for the journalists and to widen the investigation, adjourning the trial to December 9, 2021.
3 of 6 journalists who were detained on December 25, 2016, were arrested by the court on January 17, 2017. Ömer Çelik was released on October 24, 2017; Tunca Öğreten and Mahir Kanaat were released on December 6, 2017.
(07/120) Gül Bookstore Case…
The final trial of the case against 88 people, for burning down the Gül Bookstore in Kırşehir on September 8, 2015; is held at Kırşehir Heavy Penal Court on July 9, 2021. The court sentenced some of the defendants to 3 months and 10 days and some of them to a penalty fine of 2,000 Turkish Liras on the charges of ‘damage to property’ and ‘intentional injury’. The court dropped the case against 2 deceased defendants.
(07/121) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
On July 9, 2021, 19 people are detained in operations covering 2 cities through an Istanbul based investigation and 10 people are detained in Ankara.
Former brigadier general Serdar Atasoy who was detained on July 8, 2021, on the grounds of withdrawing his testimony on effective remorse is arrested by the court on July 9, 2021.
1 person who was detained in Samsun is arrested by the court on July 9, 2021.
(07/122) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 59 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and the daily number of Covid-19 cases is 5,670 as of July 9, 2021.
The Ministry of Health declared that 37 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and the daily number of Covid-19 cases is 5,530 as of July 10, 2021.
The Ministry of Health declared that 37 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and the daily number of Covid-19 cases is 5,261 as of July 11, 2021.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 50,229 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 5,481,555 as of July 11, 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.