17 June 2025 Daily Human Rights Report
(06/082) Prisoners whose release has been postponed by the Prison Administration and Monitoring Board…
According to news reports on June 17, 2025, Delal Tekdemir, Co-Mayor of Doğubayazıt District Municipality in Ağrı, who was held in Bakırköy Women’s Prison in Istanbul and completed her prison sentence on June 23, 2025, was denied release by the Prison Administration and Monitoring Board (CİGK) on the grounds that she was not in good standing, and her release was postponed for four months.
(06/083) Union Leaders Arrested in İzmir…
Ten members and executives of the Revolutionary Workers’ Trade Unions Confederation (DİSK) who were investigated for participating in protests related to the detention and arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and for slogans shouted during the protests were summoned to give statements on June 16, 2025. Following their statements, eight individuals were released, while two individuals (Deniz Şahin Gümüştekin, President of DİSK General-İş İzmir Branch No. 8, and Mine Bilir, a member of DİSK) were referred to the criminal court and arrested.
(06/084) Journalists Detained through Investigation Based in Artvin…
On June 13, 2025, seven people, including six journalists, were detained in Istanbul as part of an investigation based in Artvin and taken to Artvin. On June 17, 2025, four of them were arrested by the magistrate’s court on charges of “being a member of an illegal organization.” Three people were released on judicial control conditions.
The names of the detained journalists are: Ozan Cırık, Dicle Baştürk, Yavuz Akengin, and Eylem Emel Yılmaz.
The names of the journalists released on judicial control are: Semra Pelek and Melisa Efe.
(06/085) Municipal Council Members Detained in Isparta…
On June 17, 2025, municipal council members Ü.S. and Y.S. from the Gelendost district of Isparta were detained on allegations of “embezzlement” and “bribery.”
(06/086) Person Detained in Istanbul Based on Social Media Posts…
Kemalettin Gülen was detained in Istanbul on June 17, 2025, on allegations of insulting the President and Atatürk in social media posts.
(06/087) Trial of Human Rights Defender…
Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), was arrested on June 17, 2025, in Istanbul on charges of insulting the President and Atatürk in social media posts.
(06/086) A Person Detained in Istanbul on the Grounds of Social Media Posts…
The retrial, which was held on June 17, 2025, resulted in the Istanbul Anatolia Criminal Court of First Instance No. 42 ruling that the case against Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı be dismissed on the grounds of statute of limitations.
(06/088) Trial of a Journalist in Istanbul…
The trial of journalist Elif Bayburt, who was charged based on an interview she conducted, began on June 17, 2025, at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No. 2. The indictment seeks the punishment of the journalist for “publicly insulting the Republic of Turkey.” Following the defense statements, the court adjourned the hearing until December 16, 2025.
(06/089) Journalist under investigation…
According to news reports on June 16, 2025, an investigation was launched against BirGün reporter İsmail Arı by the Maraş Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the complaint of fugitive defendants in the case opened regarding the Ezgi Apartment building in Maraş, where 35 people lost their lives in the earthquake. The investigation was launched on the grounds of “attempting to influence a fair trial,” It was also learned that the journalist went to the Çankaya District Police Department in Ankara to give a statement as part of the investigation.
(06/090) Trial of the Party Chairman…
The trial of Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, which was opened at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No. 18, began on June 11, 2025. The indictment seeks the punishment of Ümit Özdağ for “publicly inciting the people to hatred and enmity.” The court sentenced Ümit Özdağ to 2 years and 4 months in prison and ordered his release upon sentencing.
Ümit Özdağ was arrested on January 21, 2025.
(06/091) Discriminatory and Phobic Statements by the Party Chairman…
On June 17, 2025, Fatih Erbakan, General Chairman of the Yeniden Refah Party, made the following statement after a meeting with the General Chairman of the Hür Dava Party: “They informed us about a bill that both we and they support and consider very important; a bill aimed at protecting the family and promoting moral and spiritual development. In particular, they had prepared and submitted a bill in April to prevent LGBT propaganda. They also provided information about this.”
(06/092) Special Security Zone in Şırnak…
The Şırnak Governor’s Office announced on June 16, 2025, that the areas of Dönmezler-Kovankaya, Tahtareş, Hüsrevpaşa-Suhurpaşayayla, and İncebeldağları regions within the borders of the Beytüşşebap district of Şırnak Province as a temporary special security zone for two days between June 17, 2025, and June 19, 2025, and announced that entry into the region was prohibited.
(06/093) People Detained in Ankara…
On June 17, 2026, seven people, including expelled officers and military students, were detained in house raids in Ankara.
(06/094) People Detained Through an Investigation Based in Izmir…
On June 17, 2025, 40 people were detained in house raids carried out in six provinces (Izmir, Ankara, Aydin, Balikesir, Kocaeli, and Denizli) as part of an investigation based in Izmir on the grounds that they were members of the organization’s current structure.
(06/095) People Detained in Istanbul…
On June 17, 2026, 11 individuals were detained in Ankara during house raids on the grounds of being members of the organization’s current student structure.