Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
19 January 2021 Daily Human Rights Report
(01/168) People Forced to be Police Informants in Ankara…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 18, 2021 that, Ezgi Orak and Hatice Aras, members of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Assembly were forced to be police informants in Ankara.
Ezgi Orak, having a press declaration about this at Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara branch, stated the following: “Two police officers who stopped me on the way and who stated to be from Anti-Terror Department, tried to get information about some members of the party, mentioning their names. They tried to give their phone numbers to me, they forced me to do so. (…) They said ‘We know what you do’, trying to illegalize the legal party activities that I participate in, they tried to blame me with this. They threatened me saying ‘We will find you and you will pay for what you have done’, I told them that it was harassment. They responded ‘We do not care. We do our job, and we get the strength from the state’.”
Hatice Orak stated the following: “On January 11, I was stopped in front of my house by two persons claim themselves as police officers. I was chased and threatened by them because I refused to talk with them.”
(01/169) Kurdish Books Not Accepted into Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 18, 2021 that, 4 books sent to Reyhan Coşmuşlu in Istanbul Bakırköy Women’s Prison were not accepted into the prison and sent back on the grounds that they were in Kurdish and should be translated.
(01/170) Detained People in Diyarbakır…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 18, 2021 that, 7 people who were detained in Çağdaş, Dibek, Arıklı and Bağlan rural neighbourhoods of Lice district of Diyarbakır on January 9, 2021 and following days, are arrested by the court on January 15, 2021. The names of arrested people learned so far are: Sıddık Özkan, Ferzende Özkan, Ömer Yıldırım.
(01/171) Detained People in Mardin…
5 people who were detained in Kılavuz rural neighbourhood of Derik district of Mardin on January 11, 2021, are released by the court on judicial control conditions on January 18, 2021. Detained and released people are: Fahriye Ercan, Mustafa Aslan, Mehmet Nezir Duman, Emine Gevcan and 3 months pregnant Rabia Arjin Gevcan Yiğit. 17 people who were detained through the same investigation were released after statement procedures at the gendarmerie.
(01/172) Journalist on Trial for Social Media Posts in Van…
The final trial of the case against journalist İdris Yılmaz, for his social media posts about Turkish Armed Forces operation to Afrin area of Syria in 2018, is held at Van Erciş Penal Court of First Instance No 1 on January 18, 2021. The court acquitted İdris Yılmaz.
(01/173) Person on Trial for Social Media Posts in Diyarbakır…
The first trial of the case against Hülya Oruç, spouse of arrested journalist Aziz Oruç, for her social media posts is held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5 on January 18, 2021.
The indictment demands sentence from 1 year up to 3 years for Hülya Oruç on the charge of ‘provoking hatred and hostility among public’.
After defence hearings the court adjourned the trial to February 3, 2021.
(01/174) Ban of Events in Van…
Van Governorate made a declaration on January 18, 2021 and announced that, all open-door meetings and demonstrations are banned for 15 days as of January 19, 2021. All events are banned in Van for 1534 days since November 21, 2016.
(01/175) Ban of Advertising to Social Media Companies…
Social media companies with more than a million daily visitors, Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest, are imposed a ban of advertising, for failing to comply with the new social media law, which requires to open an office and report a legal representative in the country, according to the legal regulation published on the Official Gazette on January 18, 2021.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has imposed a fine of 10 million Turkish Liras on social media companies with more than a million daily visitors, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Periscope, Pinterest and Instagram, on November 4, 2020, and imposed a second fine of 30 million Turkish Liras on December 3, 2020, for failing to comply with the new social media law, which requires to open an office and report a legal representative in the country. Following the penalty fines, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram have declared that they would appoint a representative in Turkey.
(01/176) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
19 of 32 people who were detained through an Antalya based investigation on January 9, 2021, are arrested by the court on January 18, 2021. 13 people are released provided that 11 of them will be on judicial control conditions.
(01/177) Trials in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
The final trial of the case against 17 people is held at Ankara Heavy Penal Court on January 18, 2021. The court sentenced 2 people to life imprisonment on the charge of ‘attempt to violate the constitutional order’. The court sentenced 1 person to 16 years and 6 months, 6 people to 13 years and 4 months each on the charge of ‘aiding the attempt to violate the constitutional order’. The court sentenced 1 person to 10 years and 6 months, 4 people to 8 years 1 month and 15 days each and 3 people to 7 years and 6 months on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
(01/178) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 164 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and 749 new Covid-19 ill patients were diagnosed on January 18, 2021. It is also declared that the daily number of Covid-19 case is 5,862.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 24,161 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 2,392,963 as of January 18, 2021.
It is learned that 3 health workers (ambulance driver Rasim Güçlü in Mersin, Aşkın Demirören in Kocaeli and dentist Nedret Yılmaz in Mersin) lost their lives from Covid-19 on January 18, 2021.
[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.
[2]To subscribe to the e-mail group: please write ‘daily human rights reports subscription application’ to the title of your e-mail and sent it to dokumantasyon@tihv.org.tr.
[3]https://www.facebook.com/TIHV.HRFT
[4] https://twitter.com/insanhaklari
[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.