Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
19 – 21 April 2025 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/134) Prisoner Died in Prison..
It is learned from the news coverage of April 21, 2025 that, Rojhat Burakmak, a prisoner in Diyarbakır High Security Prison No 2, died on April 18, 2025. It is claimed in the news reports that the cause of death was suicide.
(04/135) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from news coverage of April 19, 2025 that 4 people (N.A., B.Y., E.C.Ş. and E.Ç.) who were arrested for participating in protests in Istanbul to protest detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, were taken from wards and put in single rooms in Istanbul Marmara (Silivri) Prison No 1. It is also stated in the news reports that there is no running hot water and refrigerator in the single rooms where these prisoners are kept, that prisoners’ right to make video calls on the phone is restricted, and that these rooms and the food given to prisoners are not hygienic.
(04/136) No Answer to the Application for Meeting with Abdullah Öcalan…
It is learned that the appeal made on April 19, 2025 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s family and tutelary along with the appeal made on April 19, 2025 to Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in İmralı Prison was not responded.
(04/137) Torture and Ill-Treatment Under Custody…
It is learned from news coverage of April 21, 2025 that, a person named E.Ü., who shared social media posts on his social media account about the police intervention to the protests in Istanbul to protest detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was subjected to torture and ill-treatment under custody.
E.Ü. stated the following in his statement to the press “First of all, we went to the hospital to get a battering report. The police did not remove my handcuffs and did not leave the room during the battering report. After we left the hospital and got into a car, their superiors transferred from their car to the car I was in. I was beaten during the 10-15 minute journey to Vatan Security Directorate. During the journey I was slapped, punched and kicked (…) When we entered the interrogation room, my handcuffs were removed and the handcuffs were put on from the front. They made me sit on the floor in the middle of the interrogation room (…) In the interrogation room, I was subjected to all kinds of physical and psychological violence. During this time, they tried to frame me for different crimes (…) Not satisfied with this, they said that they would hand me over to the riot police and that they would kill me. They even used the phrase ‘we will take you in through the back door of the Riot Police bus and your corpse will come out through the front door’. At that time, I kept saying ‘why are they doing this, I did nothing wrong, I did not commit a crime’ (…) When I kept saying these sentences, the police officers asked me ‘how do you know you did not do anything unlawful’. I told them that I personally knew a lady lawyer and that I had asked her. When I said that, they said that they were going to rape the lawyer (…) Afterwards, their supervisor took a napkin and tried to touch my genitals through my pants, but I did not allow him to do so, I resisted. As a result, he could not perform this action and did not continue his attempt. Another policeman touched my chest through my sweater, and when I pushed his hand away with my shoulder, he did not continue. Then they said that I was gay (…) From the beginning of the torture, their superior said that he was going to put a baton behind me and asked other police officers to put a baton behind me, but this did not happen. They also told me that they were going to edit me naked and share it on my social media (…) A lawyer came to the interrogation room. The physical and psychological violence continued. They said that they would hand me over to the riot police and that they would kill me. The lawyer appointed from the second Bar Association witnessed this and said ‘no, no, no need, don’t do it, he has come to his senses’ (…) While I was trying to explain the incident at length in my statement, the lawyer appointed from the Bar Association told me that I should cut my statement short and cut my statement in half. For this reason, I could not say in my statement that I was tortured (…) My handcuffs were not removed and the police officers did not leave the room when the assault report was taken. That is why I could not say that I had been beaten. The doctor in charge did not prepare a battering report for me, even though there were visible marks of beating on my face. Especially my ears were in a very bad condition due to the slaps (…) At the entrance of the prison, I said that I had been beaten. The prison officer told the police officers with me that he would not let me in because I did not have a battering report in my file (…) I was taken to Haseki State Hospital. A detailed battering report was taken there. My assault report was added to the file and the prison official agreed to let me in.”
(04/138) Police Intervention to a Protest in Istanbul…
“No to genocide, massacre and deportation in Gaza” march of Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Istiklal Street in Beyoğlu district of Istanbul on April 19, 2025 is prevented by the police. It is learned that at least 1 person was injured during police intervention. It is also reported in news coverage that Taksim and Şişhane subway stations are closed as of 17.00 on April 19, 2025 due to the march.
(04/139) Police Prevention of Protest in Istanbul…
The police prevented the march from Istanbul University Beyazıt campus to Saraçhane Square on April 19, 2025, marking the first month of detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
(04/140) Detained Municipality Administrator and Other People in Istanbul…
5 of 12 executives and employees of Beşiktaş Municipality, including Beşiktaş Deputy Mayor Ali Rıza Yılmaz, who were detained in Istanbul on April 17, 2025, are arrested by the criminal court of peace on April 18, 2025. 7 people were released on judicial control conditions and with a ban on leaving the country.
(04/141) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The final hearing of the lawsuit filed against journalist Furkan Karabay upon the complaint of the President and his children due to his remarks in a broadcast was held on April 19, 2025 at Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No 56. The court sentenced Furkan Karabay to 2 years and 1 month, 11 months and 20 days for ‘insulting the President’ and 1 year 1 month and 10 days for ‘slander’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(04/142) Police Officer on Trial in Istanbul…
The final hearing of the case against police officer N.D. for using physical violence against a person named K.Ç. under custody was held on April 21, 2025 at Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No66. The court sentenced the police officer to 150 days judicial fine and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
(04/143) Attack to a Party Office in Adana…
On April 20, 2025, it is learned that Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) district office in Seyhan district of Adana was attacked by anonymous person or persons and material damage occurred due to the attack.
(04/144) Person Dismissed for Social Media Posts…
It is learned from the news coverage of April 20, 2025 that, Abdulkadir Alan, a TRT employee was dismissed from his job on April 16, 2025, on the grounds of a social media post he made about the institution.
(04/145) Discriminatory and Phobic Statement of the President…
The following discriminatory and phobic statements were made in the President’s speech at the 5th Ordinary General Assembly of the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM) on April 19, 2025: “We are all following the corruption in the municipalities that they have decorated with LGBT rags with disgust. Of course, the issue is not limited to the betrayal of the opposition, we are also facing the negative effects of the lifestyle encouraged by neoliberal culture.”
(04/146) Access to Blocked Internet Content…
It is learned that a social media post on which the boycott list was published was banned to access by Istanbul Bakırköy Civil Court of First Instance No 1 on April 9, 2025.
[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.