Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
12 – 14 September 2026 Daily Human Rights Report
(09/073) Soldier Killed in Iğdır…
It has been reported that on 11 September 2026, one soldier was killed and two others were injured when a military vehicle on patrol overturned in the Aralık district of Iğdır. The name of the soldier who died has not been disclosed.
(09/074) Prisoners Injured in Prison…
According to press reports on 14 September 2026, it was learned that 19 prisoners affected by smoke following a fire at Elazığ T-Type Prison were taken to hospital. The report stated that the prisoners were returned to the prison following their treatment.
(09/075) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
According to press reports on 13 September 2026, it was reported that prisoners who objected to a night-time cell search at Erzincan High-Security Prison were subjected to physical violence.
(09/076) Detentions and Arrests in the Context of Investigations Targeting LGBTI+ Individuals, Associations and Organisations…
On 13 September 2026, it emerged that, as part of investigations launched by the Public Prosecutors’ Offices in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin targeting LGBTI+ individuals, associations and organisations, proceedings were initiated against 9 associations, 13 businesses and 162 individuals across 15 provinces under operations dubbed ‘My Family is Safe’ by the Ministry of Justice.
It has been reported that, as part of the investigations, police raided the premises of the organisations and carried out searches on the premises.
On 13 September 2026, as part of an Ankara-based investigation, it was reported that detention warrants were issued against the full and reserve members of the executive board and the audit committee of the KaosGL Association, and that a search was carried out at the association’s premises.
On 13 September 2026, as part of an investigation centred in Mersin, it was reported that detention warrants were issued against the association executives of the Muamma LGBT+ Association and the Mersin 7 Renk LGBT+ Solidarity Association, and that searches were carried out at the associations’ premises.
On 13 September 2026, it was reported that searches were carried out at the premises of SPoD, the HEVİ LGBTI+ Association, the Pozitif Yaşam Association and the Pozitif-İz Association.
On 13 September 2026, it was reported that a search was carried out at the Pembe Hayat Association in Ankara and that the association’s chairperson was detained.
On 13 September 2026, six people were taken into custody in the Kuşadası district of Aydın. Of those taken into custody, five were remanded in custody by the magistrates’ court on 13 and 14 September 2026, whilst one person was released subject to judicial supervision.
According to news reports on 13 September 2026, as part of an Istanbul-based investigation, police raided six associations and ten businesses, conducting searches of the premises; operations carried out across 12 provinces resulted in a total of 26 people being detained.
Of the 18 people detained in Izmir on 13 September 2026, 16 were remanded in custody by the magistrates’ court to which they were brought on 14 September 2026 on charges of “obscenity” and “encouraging, facilitating or providing premises for prostitution”, whilst two were released subject to judicial supervision.
(09/077) Individuals Fined in Kayseri for Putting Up Posters…
According to news reports on 12 September 2026, it was reported that three association executives of Emek Gençliği were issued administrative fines by the police in Kayseri due to a poster bearing the Emek Gençliği logo that had been put up.
(09/078) Journalist Arrested in Bolu…
It was reported that Hüseyin Aykan, Editor-in-Chief of the Bolu Gündem newspaper and Bolu Representative of the Turkish Journalists’ Association, who was detained on the grounds of a news report, was remanded in custody on 11 September 2026 by the magistrates’ court to which he was referred, on the charge of “breach of privacy”.
(09/079) Journalist Arrested…
It has been reported that journalist Ahmet Polad (Mehmet Nizam Aslan), who was abducted alongside German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann whilst covering news in Syria on 19 January 2026, was extradited to Turkey on 9 September 2026 and taken into custody. Ahmet Polad was remanded in custody by the magistrates’ court to which he was referred on 12 September 2026.
Eva Maria Michelmann, meanwhile, had been released on 19 June 2026.
(09/080) Journalist Arrested…
Following the death of former MIT officer Kaşif Kozinoğlu whilst in custody at Istanbul Marmara (Silivri) Prison on 12 November 2011. Of the nine people detained as part of the investigation launched by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into his death, three – including journalist Selahattin Günday – were remanded in custody by the magistrates’ court to which they were referred on 13 September 2026, whilst six were released subject to judicial supervision.
In 2012, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued a decision to drop the case regarding the investigation into Kaşif Kozinoğlu’s death. On 7 September 2026, the Minister of Justice announced that the investigation file had been re-examined by the Directorate General for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, and that the decision to drop the case had been overturned.
(09/081) Social Media Influencer Detained in Istanbul…
It has been reported that a social media influencer named Semih Varol was detained on 12 September 2026 as part of an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds of ‘insulting a public official in the course of their duties’, following remarks he made about the police during a live broadcast on social media (TikTok). Semih Varol was released on 13 September 2026 by the magistrates’ court to which he was referred, subject to judicial supervision.
(09/082) The Trial of a Journalist in Istanbul…
The trial of journalist Pınar Gayıp, which was brought before the 23rd Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 13, commenced on 14 September 2026. The indictment seeks the journalist’s conviction on the charge of “membership of an organisation”. The court ruled to release Pınar Gayıp on bail, subject to a travel ban, and adjourned the hearing until 7 December 2026.
Pınar Gayıp was detained on 3 February 2026 and remanded in custody on 5 February 2026.
(09/083) Blocked Websites and Social Media Accounts…
According to news reports on 12 September 2026, 11 LGBTI+ organisations (Kaos GL, CETAD, Muamma LGBTI+, SPoD, 17 May, Lambdaistanbul LGBTI+, Kırmızı Şemsiye, Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Association, Mersin 7 Renk LGBT, Association for the Struggle Against Sexual Violence and HEVİ LGBT+) and 7 other websites (unikuir.org, ayisozluk.com, velvele.net, gzone.com.tr, boysanevi.org, lgbtinewsturkey.com, hepkaner.com) It has been reported that access restrictions were imposed by a decision dated 12 September 2026 issued by the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace No. 7 and the Mersin 4th Magistrates’ Court. It was also reported that access restrictions were imposed on a total of 155 social media accounts, comprising 44 X social media accounts (including those of LGBT+ organisations whose websites were blocked), 68 Instagram accounts, 22 Facebook accounts, 13 YouTube channels, 4 TikTok accounts and 4 LinkedIn pages.
According to news reports on 13 September 2026, it was reported that access to a further 32 social media accounts containing LGBTI+ content had been blocked.
According to news reports on 14 September 2026, 60 X social media accounts—including those belonging to Evrensel Newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace and the Association for Media and Legal Studies, as well as those belonging to journalists and activists, were blocked by a decision of the Istanbul Bakırköy 4th Magistrates’ Court dated 13 September 2026.
(09/084) Cancelled Film Screening in Diyarbakır…
According to news reports published on 11 September 2026, as part of an open-air cinema event organised by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality at Sümerpark, the free screening of the film “Rojbash”, scheduled for 13 September 2026, was cancelled after the Diyarbakır Provincial Directorate of Security requested that the municipality reconsider the decision, citing that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s decision dated 7 August 2024—stating that the film’s commercial distribution and public screening were inappropriate—remained in force.
[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.