Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
14 – 16 March 2020 Daily Human Rights Report
(03/169) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 14, 2020 that 3 HPG militants died in an air operation of Turkish Armed Forces to Hakurk area of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government on March 10, 2020.
(03/170) Intervention to Prisoner on Hunger Strike…
People’s Law Office made a declaration on March 13, 2020 and reported that, Mustafa Koçak, who is on hunger strike in Izmir Şakran T Type Prison No 2 was forcefully taken to Aliağa Prisons Campus Hospital Internal Diseases Department on March 12, 2020. Mustafa Koçak was on 254th day of his strike demanding a fair trial when his ward was raided and he was dragged on floor and was fastened to a chair and was subjected to physical violence to be taken to hospital without his parents and lawyers being informed. It is reported that Mustafa Koçak was medically treated with a serum without his consent at hospital, on the basis of hospital board’s decision.
It is learned that lawyers and family of Mustafa Koçak were not allowed to see him, and Izmir Public Prosecutor’s Office prevents his right to access objective physicians although Izmir Chamber of Medicine assigned 2 physicians to follow up the process. On March 15, 2020 Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD) Izmir branch, Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Izmir branch, HRFT Izmir office and Human Rights Association (IHD) Izmir branch had a press declaration where ÇHD general secretary lawyer Nergis Tuba Aslan reported that lawyers were threatened by prison director and stated the following: “It is verbally learned as a result of persistent efforts that, he was only given glucose and vein clearance and was medically treated without his consent.”
(03/171) Intervention to Grup Yorum Band Members on Hunger Strike…
It is learned that People’s Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ayşe Sürücü was prevented by the police from visiting Grup Yorum band members İbrahim Gökçek (on hunger strike for 272 days) and Helin Bölek (on hunger strike for 269 days) who have been forcefully kept in Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, on March 13, 2020.
(03/172) Death Fast in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 14, 2020 that, Can Laçin, a prisoner in Manisa Akhisar T Type Prison was on death fast on 45 days, demanding end of physical and psychological pressure he was being subjected to.
It is stated in the news reports that, Can Laçin has been subjected to physical violence of 2 wardens (B. Ö. and S. D.) in Manisa E Type Prison in 2014, and made an official complaint about it; and then he was transferred to Manisa T Type and Akhisar T Type prisons where the ward B. Ö. was also appointed to, and thus Can Laçin was again subjected to physical violence and psychological pressure of this ward in these prisons too.
(03/173) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 13, 2020 that, Ministry of Justice announced that visits to open and closed prisons are locked for 2 weeks with regard to precautions for Covid-19.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 13, 2020 that, prisoners in Kırıkkale Delice Open Prison were subjected to physical and verbal violence of the wardens. It is reported that, after a prisoner was subjected to physical violence a quarrel between prisoners and wardens arose which resulted in transfer of 85 prisoners to the closed prison.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 15, 2020 that prisoners who reject to stand in military order during roll-calls in Manisa T Type Prison, were dragged on floor by wardens to a dark room where they were subjected to physical violence. It is reported that cheekbone of a prisoner (Mehmet Tekin) was broken due to violence. It is also stated in the news reports that prison director threatened prisoners saying “I would kill you at push”.
(03/174) Police Intervention Against “I Want My Job Back” Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened the press declarations of public labourers who had been dismissed by a state of emergency decree and have been struggling 1223 days to regain their jobs, in front of Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street on March 13, 14, and 15, 2020 at 13.30, and forced people away from the monument by using physical violence.
(03/175) Prevention of Saturday Mothers’ Protest in Istanbul…
Police obstructed all the streets around Galatasaray Square in Istanbul to prevent Saturday Mothers who rally every Saturday for 23 years in the same place to gather for the 781st time on March 4, 2020. Upon police prevention, the group including representatives of political parties, human rights defenders and families of disappeared people held a press declaration on the street of Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul office.
(03/176) Prevention of Human Rights Defenders’ Event in Istanbul…
“F sit-in”, which is organized for the 416th time by Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch Prison Watch Committee, to demand release of ill prisoners, on March 14, 2020, is prevented by the police. The police obstructed all the streets around Galatasaray Square. Human rights defenders made the press declaration in front of IHD Istanbul office.
(03/177) Police Intervention to Lawyers’ Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened to the press declaration of ÖHD Ankara branch, ÇHD Ankara branch, IHD Ankara branch and Lawyers for Social Law and Democracy, on March 13, 2020 in front of Ankara Courthouse to protest detention of 12 lawyers in Urfa, Diyarbakır, and Şırnak through an Urfa based investigation on March 12, 2020; and pushed lawyers into the court house by using physical violence against them.
It is learned that nobody was detained but 6 lawyers were injured due to intervention.
(03/178) Quarantine in Ankara…
It is claimed in the news reports that, the student dormitories in Gölbaşı, where people coming back from umrah visit are being kept in quarantine as a precaution for Covid-19 cases, were not cleaned, people were not given enough food and there were no physicians or nurses. It is also stated in the news reports that students who were staying in dormitories before quarantine were wanted to move out of their rooms at night without giving notice.
(03/179) Detained Local Authority in Malatya…
Local authority (M. B.) of Çanaklı neighbourhood of Kale district of Malatya, is detained on the grounds of ‘insulting Atatürk on social media’, on March 13, 2020.
(03/180) Detained Journalists in Antalya…
On March 14, 2020, İdris Özyol (executive editor) and Ebru Küçükaydın (managing editor) of “Haberimizvar” news portal, are detained on March 14, 2020, on the grounds of a news report. 2 journalists are released after statement procedures and the news report was removed from the website.
(03/181) Arrested Association Executive in Istanbul…
Esin Çelik, Marmara region co-chair of Association of Families of Prisoners (TUHAY-DER), who was detained in Fethiye district of Muğla on March 11, 2020, on the grounds of transferring money to prisoners; is arrested by the court on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ on March 13, 2020.
(03/182) Detained Former Co-Mayor and HDP Members in Adıyaman…
On March 13, 2020, 3 people are detained in house raids in Çelikhan district of Adıyaman. 6 people were also detained through the same investigation on March 9, 2020. The reason of detention is unknown. Detained people are: Mehmet Çalğan (former Democratic Regions Party co-mayor of Bulam town of Çelikhan district), HDP members Erdal Çalğan, Adiguzel Demirci, Cevahir Büyükşahin, Hasan Büyükşahin, Erdal Ün, Veysel Demirci, Nurettin Çalğan and İsmail Toptaş.
(03/183) Detained People in Mardin…
5 people (Cabbar Gündüz, Mustafa Kılıç, Meki Eroğlu, Davut Okumuş and Metin Orak) who were detained in Soylu rural neighbourhood of Savur district of Mardin on March 6, 2020, are released by the court on judicial control conditions on March 13, 2020.
(03/184) Journalists, Lawyers and ESP Members on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against 23 people including lawyers Sezin Uçar, Özlem Gümüştaş and Gülhan Kaya from Law Office of the Oppressed; Etkin News Agency news editor İsminaz Temel and reporter Havva Cuştan, and members and executives of Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) is held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 27 on March 13, 2020. The court rejected to lift judicial control conditions and adjourned the trial to June 10, 2020.
(03/185) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
On March 15, 2020, Mubariz Mansimov Gurbanoğlu, Azerbaijani and Turkish citizen business person, is detained in Istanbul.
(03/186) Suspended Local Authorities in Muş…
On March 15, 2020, local authorities of 4 villages (Mehmet Kaya from Yaramış village, Milazım Altun from Akören village, Sertip Demir from Alikalkan village and Salih Söylemez from Kazgöl village) of Malazgirt district of Muş are suspended by Ministry of Interior on the grounds of an investigation against them.
(03/187) Ban of Events in Hakkari and Antep…
Hakkari Governorate made a declaration on March 13, 2020 and announced that, all open events such as demonstrations, press declarations, meetings, sit-ins, opening stands and tents, collecting petitions, festivals, concerts, delivering leaflets and so on are banned for 15 days as of March 13, 2020. This extended the ban on all events in Hakkari to 358 days since April 4, 2019.
Antep Governorate made a declaration on March 13, 2020 and announced that, all open events such as demonstrations, press declarations, meetings, sit-ins, opening stands and tents, collecting petitions, festivals, concerts, delivering leaflets and so on are banned for 20 days as of March 15, 2020.
[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.