(04/131) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Custody in Istanbul…
Metin Keleş, İsa Yalçın, Sinan Yalçın, Erdal Keser, and Hacı Ahmet Karta were taken to the Maslak Gendarmerie Station, where they were subjected to psychological violence and coercion to make confessions; it was also reported that İsa Yalçın and Sinan Yalçın were denied their right to consult with a lawyer.
(04/132) Racist Attack Against Amedspor in Balıkesir…
It has been reported that prior to and following the 36th-week match of the Turkish Football Federation 1st League between Amedspor and Bandırmaspor on April 19, 2026, Amedspor officials and fans were subjected to verbal and physical racist attacks, and that there were injuries resulting from the attack.
(04/133) Protest Blocked by Police in Mersin…
A march planned for April 18, 2026, to the Provincial Directorate of National Education in Mersin regarding the armed attacks at schools in Urfa and Maraş was blocked by police.
(04/134) Police Intervention in Protests in Istanbul and Ankara…
On April 19, 2026, in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, police intervened in a protest organized regarding the suspicious death of İlayda Zorlu—whose family had been sought by police on the grounds that she had participated in protests at the university—who lost her life on April 17, 2026, in Hatay from a bullet fired from her police officer father’s gun and detained 79 people, including Evrim Çakır, Deputy Chair of Halkevleri, using physical force and handcuffing them behind their backs. It was reported that one person sustained a head injury during the intervention. It was reported that the police report prepared by the police contained statements such as the individual “hit his head against the bus window” and “threw himself to the ground.” It was learned that lawyers who came to meet with the 79 individuals brought to the Istanbul Provincial Police Department were not permitted to enter the police headquarters for approximately 8 hours. During police interrogations, it was reported that the police did not include allegations of “torture” in the report, and that the statements of those detained were altered before being recorded. Following the lawyers’ objections to this, it was announced that the detainees would be transferred to the courthouse without their police statements being taken.
On the same grounds, on April 19, 2026, police intervened in a protest held in Ankara’s Çankaya district and detained 9 people using physical force. Those detained were released the same day following their police statements.
(04/135) Police Intervention in a March in Ankara…
Police intervened in a march organized by the Independent Mining Workers’ Union on April 20, 2026, in Ankara, intended to reach the Ministry of Energy. It was reported that 33 people, including the union’s General President Gökay Çakır and the union’s organizing specialist Başaran Aksu, were detained using physical force during the police intervention. Those detained were released the same day.
(04/136) Human Rights Defender Detained in Tunceli…
On April 17, 2026, Yaprak Kurban, an executive of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Dersim Branch, was detained during a home raid in Tunceli as part of an investigation centered in Istanbul and brought to Istanbul. On April 20, 2026, she was arrested by the magistrate’s court to which she was referred on charges of “financing terrorism.”
(04/137) Mayor and Others Detained in Istanbul…
On April 18, 2026, 18 people, including Onursal Adıgüzel, the mayor of Istanbul’s Ataşehir district, were detained on charges of “bribery,” “tampering with a tender,” and “forming an organization for the purpose of committing a crime.”
(04/138) Journalist Arrested in Urfa…
Journalist Mehmet Yetim, who was detained on April 18, 2026, on the grounds of a news report he had published as part of an investigation initiated by the Siverek Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Urfa, was arrested on April 19, 2026, by the magistrate’s court to which he was referred, on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information.”
(04/139) Journalist Detained in Izmir…
Journalist Turgay Kılıç, detained on April 17, 2026, on the grounds of social media posts and accused of “publicly disseminating misleading information,” was released on judicial supervision by the magistrate’s court to which he was referred on the same day.
(04/140) Person Detained in Istanbul…
A high school student and member of the “High School Youth Hope” group was detained on April 17, 2026, in Istanbul on the grounds that he had hung a banner regarding the armed attacks that occurred at schools in Urfa and Maraş.
(04/141) Individuals Detained in Istanbul…
On April 17, 2026, during home raids in Istanbul, five members of the Socialist Assemblies Federation (SMF) (Metin Keleş, İsa Yalçın, Sinan Yalçın, Erdal Keser, and Hacı Ahmet Kartal) were detained on charges of “financing terrorism.” It was reported that a 24-hour restriction on lawyer access was imposed regarding the investigation file. One person (Ahmet Kartal) was released on April 18, 2026, following interrogation at the police station. The other four individuals were released on April 20, 2026, by the magistrate’s court to which they were referred, subject to judicial supervision.
(04/142) Individuals Detained in Bursa…
Three individuals detained on April 16, 2026, as part of an investigation targeting the Bursa Nilüfer Municipality were arrested on April 18, 2026, by the magistrate’s court to which they were referred, on charges of “establishing and leading an organization for the purpose of committing crimes,” “membership in an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime,” “bribery,” and “laundering assets derived from crime.”
(04/143) Political Party Leader and Others Detained as Part of an Istanbul-Based Investigation…
As part of an investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office targeting Uşak Municipality, 28 individuals—including Republican People’s Party (CHP) Uşak Provincial Chairman Celalettin Çoban, were detained on charges of “bribery,” “extortion,” and “tampering with a tender.”
(04/144) Indictment Prepared Against a Journalist in Mardin…
An indictment prepared by the Mardin Kızıltepe Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against JINNEWS News Director Öznur Değer, on the grounds that she resisted the torture and other ill-treatment she was subjected to during a police raid on her home on February 7, 2025, was accepted by the Kızıltepe 6th Criminal Court of First Instance on April 20, 2026. The indictment seeks to punish the journalist for the crime of “resisting the performance of duty.” The first hearing of the case will take place on July 14, 2026.
(04/145) The Trial of a Lawyer in Adana…
The trial of Lawyer Musa Bendaş, a member of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), was initiated on April 20, 2026, at the Adana 2nd Heavy Penal Court on the grounds that he participated in protests regarding attacks on regions in Syria where Kurds live. The indictment seeks to punish the lawyer for the crimes of “resisting the performance of duty,” “damaging public property,” “making organization propaganda,” “endangering traffic safety,” and “violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.” The court ordered Musa Bendaş’s release and adjourned the hearing to a later date.
Musa Bendaş had been arrested on January 24, 2026.
(04/146) Person on Trial in Tunceli…
According to news reports on April 18, 2026, it was learned that in the final hearing of the case filed against İnan Şanlı, the District Director of National Education in Ovacık, Tunceli, at the Tunceli Criminal Court of First Instance—on the grounds of social media posts—the court sentenced İnan Şanlı to 1 year, 1 month, and 15 days in prison for the crime of “insulting the state and its institutions” under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for the crime of “insulting the state and its institutions,” and that the court suspended the pronouncement of the sentence.
(04/147) Social Media Accounts and Internet Content Subject to Access Restrictions…
According to news reports on April 17, 2026, it was learned that access to the YouTube channel titled “Minecraft Parodies” was blocked under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651.
Regarding the AKP Antalya Provincial Chairman, https://www.alanyapostasi.com.tr/, https://www.haberibizden.com/, and https://www.alanyagazetesi.com.tr/, it was learned that an access block was imposed on these three news articles by the decision of the Antalya 1st Criminal Court of Peace dated April 17, 2026, on the grounds of a violation of privacy.
Access to three news articles regarding an AKP Antalya provincial official on the websites https://www.nefes.com.tr/, https://www.veryansintv.com/, https://t24.com.tr/, it has been reported that access to three news articles on these websites was blocked by a decision of the Antalya 1st Criminal Court of Peace dated April 17, 2026, on the grounds of a violation of privacy.
Regarding the armed attack incident at a school in Maraş, access to three news articles published on the websites https://www.dunya.com/, https://www.elipshaber.com/, https://www.gazetebirlik.com/, an access block has been imposed on three news articles published on these websites pursuant to Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, on the grounds of protecting national security and public order.