Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
16 December 2020 Daily Human Rights Report
(12/175) Racist Attack in Manisa…
It is learned that a person named Sabır Söyü was subjected to attack of 2 people for he was speaking Kurdish on the phone, in Şehzadeler district of Manisa on December 15, 2020.
Sabır Söyü stated the following: “I work at a factory. I got off the shuttle around 5 p.m. I was talking with a friend on the phone on my way home. While I was passing through a desolate area in Ahmet Bedevi street, 2 persons came to me and said ‘What are you saying?’ with a reaction. I was speaking Kurdish on the phone. After hanging up I said ‘What is the matter, I don’t understand?’; they said ‘Speak Turkish we don’t understand you’. They cursed at me and we had a quarrel. They said ‘You will say how happy is the one who says I am a Turk or go away’. Then they beat me. They looked like the nationalists. I have marks of the violence on my body. I went to a hospital and got a medical report evidencing the violence and I will make a criminal report to the police station tomorrow”.
(12/176) Lawyer Subjected to Verbal and Physical Violence of Police in Adana…
It is learned from the news coverage of December 15, 2020 that lawyer Özgür Yakut was subjected to verbal and physical violence of the police at Adana Provincial Security Directorate where he went to meet a client.
Özgür Yakut stated the following: “I have been waiting in the lobby of Narcotics Department for a long time, so I asked a police officer when the statement procedure will begin. The officer responded, ‘You will wait, it would begin soon’. I asked him to speak properly, then he insulted saying ‘Shut up and sit down. What will you do? Sit down and put yourself together. You impudent, sit down there’ and walked up on me to beat. And he quickly left the place after other officers warned him saying ‘He is a lawyer’. Then he came back and apologized.”
It is learned that lawyer Özgür Yakut made a criminal report to the prosecutor’s office.
(12/177) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of December 15, 2020 that, Cüneyt Gül, a prisoner kept in a single cell in Isparta E Type Prison was subjected to physical violence of the correction officers on August 5, and December 1, 2020. It is reported that lawyer of Cüneyt Gül made a criminal report to Isparta Public Prosecutor’s Office after the violence he was subjected to on December 1, 2020.
It is learned from the news coverage of December 15, 2020 that, following the hunger strike, started in Kayseri Bünyan T Type Prison No 2 demanding an end to isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, radios and televisions of prisoners were seized after ward searches and prisoners were not given newspapers.
(12/178) Prevention of Right to Health in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of December 15, 2020 that, Abdullah Turan, an ill prisoner with quadriplegia in Metris R Type Prison, was referred to Başakşehir Çam and Sakura Hospital after his condition worsens. It is stated in the news reports that, although it was said to his lawyer that he will be operated on December 14, 2020, Abdullah Turan was sent back to prison without being operated and treated and despite the doctor’s opinion.
Abdullah Turan’s lawyer stated the following: “Despite the doctor insists, Abdullah Turan is taken back to prison. The doctor says he should be kept under observation, because his infection could be treated under observation and he should be admitted to the hospital at least for 10 days. But the hospital administration does not pay regard to this and sends Abdullah Turan to prison. They will examine him again after he uses medication for infection for 10 days.”
(12/179) Hunger Strike in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of December 15, 2020 that one more prisoner joined the indefinite hunger strike in turns which started in prisons on November 26, 2020, demanding an end to isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and to right violations in prisons.
The prisoner joining the strike is:
- Kayseri Bünyan T Type Prison No 2: 1 prisoner (Mehmet Kurt)
(12/180) Detained Former District Council Member in Urfa…
Hülya Biçen, former district council from Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Silvan district, is detained during a road check in Birecik district of Urfa on December 15, 2020. Hülya Biçen is released after statement procedures at the prosecutor’s office on the same day.
(12/181) Detained HDP Executive in Urfa…
Ömer Karadağ, district co-chair of HDP is detained in a house raid in Birecik district of Urfa on December 15, 2020. The reason of detention is unknown.
(12/182) Police Intervention to a Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened the press declaration of the Lawyers Commission for October 10 Ankara Massacre, which was to be held in front of Ankara Courthouse, following the trial held on December 15, 2020. The trial of the case against 16 fugitive defendants and Erman Ekici, is continuing at Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 4. It is learned that nobody was detained in police intervention, and the police prevented video recording of the intervention. It is reported that press declaration was held somewhere else.
(12/183) Police Intervention to Labour Party Members Hanging Banners in Aydın…
The police intervened members of Labour Party (EMEP) hanging banners about precautions for Covid-19, in Didim and Efeler districts of Aydın on December 15, 2020. It is learned that 9 members of Labour Party were taken to a police station and they were imposed penalty fine for violating the Law of Misdemeanour.
(12/184) Özgür Gündem Case…
The trial of the case against Hüseyin Aykol and Zana Kaya, executive editor İnan Kızılkaya, editor in chief of Özgür Gündem newspaper and politician Hatip Dicle, is held at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 22 on December 15, 2020. The court decided to prolong the detention warrant for Hatip Dicle and adjourned the trial to March 4, 2021.
(12/185) Özgür Gündem Case…
The trial of the case against journalist Can Dündar for participating in “Editors in Chief on Watch” campaign to support Özgür Gündem newspaper which was closed down by a state of emergency decree; and against İnan Kızılkaya, executive editor of Özgür Gündem, is held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 22 on December 15, 2020. The court decided to wait for the respond to international rogatory letters for execution of warrant against Can Dündar and adjourned the trial to March 4, 2021.
(12/186) 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 December 15, 2020.
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 the ban on leaving the country for Mahir Kanaat, Ömer Çelik, Metin Yoksu and Tunca Öğreten and adjourned the trial to May 5, 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.
(12/187) Newspaper Employee and Other People on Trial in Mersin…
The trial of the case against 11 people including Murat Sekman, an employee of Yeni Yaşam newspaper, is held at Mersin Heavy Penal Court No 7 on December 15, 2020.
The indictment demands sentence for 11 people on the charges of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
After defence hearings the court adjourned the trail to March 19, 2021.
(12/188) October 10 – Ankara Massacre Case…
The trial of the case against Erman Ekici and 16 fugitive defendants, for October 10 – Ankara Massacre, is held at Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 4 on December 15, 2020.
The court decided to send a writ to Gaziantep Heavy Penal Court for the expert report on digital material of Erman Ekici; and to Security General Directorate for hearing Büşra Şahin as witness; and decided to continue detention of Erman Ekici, adjourning the trial to March 10, 2021.
19 defendants have been sentenced to jail sentences on August 3, 2018, at the final trial of the case on October 10 – Ankara Massacre and the case against 16 fugitives was separated.
(12/189) Ban of Access to Web Contents…
It is learned that the news reports about allegations of corruption within Turkish Post (PTT) published on https://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/, https://odatv4.com/, https://www.milligazete.com.tr/ and https://sol.org.tr/ websites are banned to access on the grounds of violation of personal rights, by Ankara Penal Court of Peace No 7 on December 15, 2020.
(12/190) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
On December 15, 2020, 11 people are detained in operations covering 4 cities through a Kocaeli based investigation and 7 people are detained in Afyon.
(12/191) Trials in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
The final trial of the case against a person named E. T. is held at Adana Heavy Penal Court No 11 on December 15, 2020. The court sentenced the defendant to 6 years and 3 months on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
The final trial of the case against a person named H. D. is held at Adana Heavy Penal Court No 11 on December 15, 2020. The court sentenced the defendant to 10 years on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
The final trial of the case against a person named Ali Emre Öksüz is held at Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 21 on December 15, 2020. The court sentenced the defendant to 6 years and 3 months on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
(12/192) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 235 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and 5,105 new Covid-19 ill patients were diagnosed on December 15, 2020. It is also declared that the daily number of Covid-19 case is 32,102.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 16,881 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 1,898,447 as of December 15, 2020.
It is learned that 9 health workers (Güngör Nişli in Izmir, doctor Serdar Gül in Isparta, pharmacist Mustafa Kocatmaz in Nevşehir, pharmacist Zeki Gül in Samsun, doctor Cumhur Toker in Bursa, delivery nurse Elif Özer in Adana, Professor Kerim Çağlı in Ankara, Ali Ayvalık in Kırıkkale and dentist Ragıp Hazar in Antalya) lost their lives due to Covid-19 on December 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.