Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
11 – 13 April 2026 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/074) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learnt from news reports published on April 11, 2026, that Kurdish-language letters were not being given to inmates or sent out of Ankara Sincan Prison No. 2 on the grounds that translation fees were not being covered.
(04/075) Police Intervention at a Protest in Ankara…
On April 12, 2026, police intervened in a march organized by members and officials of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) to the Ministry of Justice to protest the arrest of CHP Ankara Provincial Chairman Ümit Erkol, using physical force and tear gas. It is unclear whether anyone was detained as a result of the intervention.
(04/076) City Council Member and Municipal Official Detained in Bolu…
Leyla Beykoz, Deputy Mayor of Bolu, and Aydan Özdemir, a member of the Bolu City Council, who were detained on April 10, 2026, as part of an investigation targeting the Bolu Municipality, were arrested by the magistrate’s court to which they were referred on April 11, 2026. It was also learned that Tanju Özcan, the Mayor of Bolu, who was already in custody as part of another investigation, was re-arrested in connection with this investigation.
(04/077) Political Party Leader Detained in Ankara…
Nine individuals, including CHP Ankara Provincial Chairman Ümit Erkol, who were detained on April 9, 2026, as part of an investigation centered in İzmir, were arrested by the magistrate’s court on April 12, 2026.
(04/078) Municipal Officials and Others Detained in Istanbul…
Of the 21 people detained on April 7, 2026, as part of an investigation targeting the Üsküdar Municipality in Istanbul, 9—including Deputy Mayor Filiz Deveci—were arrested by the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace No. 7 to which they were referred on April 11, 2026. Twelve people were released, 10 of them under judicial supervision.
(04/079) Detained Union Leader…
Doğukan Akan, a staff member of the legal department of the union, was detained as part of an investigation initiated by the Manisa Soma Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds of a social media post made on behalf of the Independent Mining Workers’ Union regarding the arrest of Umut-Sen Organizing Coordinator Başaran Aksu. He was arrested by the magistrate’s court to which he was referred on April 12, 2026.
(04/080) Comedian Detained…
Comedian Tuba Ulu, who was detained in Istanbul on April 9, 2026, on the grounds that a joke she made during a performance about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent constituted “insulting historical, national, and spiritual values,” was released on April 11, 2026, by the magistrate’s court to which she was referred, subject to judicial supervision.
(04/081) Journalist Under Investigation…
It is learnt from news reports on April 10, 2026, that the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into journalist Ömer Tur on the grounds of a social media post he made regarding racist and sexist chants directed at Leyla Zana by Bursaspor fans.
(04/082) The Trial of a Lawyer in Adana…
The final hearing of the case filed against lawyer Şiar Rişvanoğlu at the Adana 11th Heavy Penal Court was held on October 10, 2026. The court acquitted the lawyer of the charge of “being a member of an organization.”
(04/083) Indictment Prepared Against a Union Leader…
It is learnt to from news reports published on April 10, 2026, that the Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has prepared an indictment against Mehmet Türkmen, the General President of BİRTEK-SEN. The indictment seeks to punish Mehmet Türkmen for the crime of “publicly disseminating misleading information.”
Mehmet Türkmen was arrested on March 16, 2026.
(04/084) Social Media Accounts Subject to Access Restrictions…
It was reported that the YouTube and X social media accounts belonging to comedian Tuba Ulu—who was detained on the grounds of a joke she made about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and later released under judicial supervision—were restricted pursuant to Article 8 of Law No. 5651. It was learned that access to the accounts was blocked on the grounds of protecting national security and public order, and that the accounts were made inaccessible from Turkey.
(04/085) Trans Woman Subjected to Discriminatory and Phobic Treatment at Hospital…
It is learnt from news reports on April 9, 2026, that a trans woman named Deniz Alya, who went to Ankara Bilkent City Hospital for an examination, was subjected to discriminatory and phobic treatment by the doctor who examined her.
In her statement published in the media, Deniz Alya stated the following: “About three weeks ago, I went to the Emergency Department at Bilkent City Hospital with serious symptoms such as high fever, cough, and headache (…) When my turn came, the doctor said, ‘Welcome, sir,’ using the name listed in the system. I explained that I am a trans woman, that I do not use my assigned name, and that my name change case is ongoing (…) However, instead of correcting this, the doctor continued to call me ‘sir’ in a deliberate and mocking manner, asking questions like, ‘What’s wrong, sir?’, ‘How do you make a living?’, and ‘Why do you look like this?’ He spoke with the intern next to him in a language I didn’t understand and they laughed (…) To document what was happening, I started recording a video with my phone. At that point, security guards approached me, telling me I couldn’t record and demanding I delete the video. I refused to delete it.”
[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.