Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
2 February 2021 Daily Human Rights Report
(02/021) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, in Mersin Tarsus Women’s Prison, hot water is not provided to the wards on the grounds of building renovation process and thus prisoners have to use cold water in showers. It is also stated in the news reports that the heating does not work in wards.
It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, Doğu Demirtaş and Selahattin Can Uğuzeş, Boğaziçi University students who were arrested on January 30, 2021, were subjected to verbal violence of the correction officers in Metris Prison.
(02/022) Person Forced to be Police Informant in Ankara…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, Elif Ceylan, a reader of Kaldıraç magazine, and her family were threatened by the police.
A press conference was held at Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara office and following was stated:
“Last week, Elif Ceylan is called by someone who introduces themselves as an officer of Ankara Security Directorate, and she was called to the headquarters of directorate to talk about some issues. As she responded negatively, her family was called and said that their daughter was in danger, and they were called to Anti-Terror Department, ‘for the sake of’ their daughter. Elif Ceylan went to Ankara Security Directorate with her family, and she was threatened by these words: ‘Do you want to be upstairs or in the detention room downstairs? We want to know everywhere you go, every step you take. Come here to have a cup of tea with us every week, we will find you a job when you graduate, we will provide you scholarships. We will get you from your home and leave back to your home’.”
(02/023) Person Forced to be Police Informant in Ankara…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 1, 2021 that, Erol Çiftçi, former Party Assembly member of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), was forced to be a secret witness in an investigation through which he was detained.
Erol Çiftçi held a press conference and stated the following: “We went to [Tuzluçayır Police Station] with my father, they did not let my father in the station. He waited outside. When I entered there, 3 persons took me in a room, I did not know these persons they were in plain clothes. They wanted me to make a statement as a secret witness in the investigation that I was detained through. They tried to convince me saying, ‘If you accept to be a secret witness, your home city will be recorded differently. Your name will never be mentioned. Nobody will know that it is you’. When I rejected to be secret witness, they started to threaten me. They said, ‘If you leave here today, we will never give you a rest. You are 7 siblings of the family; you are all studying but you will never have a future. We will try to disturb you, and abduct you any time we have. I can call you to this station or any other station any time. You are obliged to come’. They said ‘We will denounce you as a terrorist everywhere, even at your school, you will never have an undisturbed place’, and they kept me in the station for one and half an hour.”
(02/024) Police Intervention to Protests in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara…
On February 2, 2021, the police intervened the students at Boğaziçi University campus, protesting the new rector appointed by the President and the arrest of 2 students on January 30, 2021. The police prevented the students to leave the campus, and used physical violence to detain the people who wanted to enter the campus for the protests. It is also learned that the police did not allow parliamentary members of HDP to enter in the campus and prevented the journalists. The police also intervened a group of students walking nearby the campus and detained many of them by using physical violence. In the evening, the police entered in the campus, and detained the students waiting in front of the rectorate building, by using physical violence against them. Istanbul Governorate’s Office made a declaration and stated that 159 students were detained in all day interventions. It is learned that 1 student was injured at the face, 1 student has jaw fracture, and 1 student was admitted to neurosurgery service in the hospital after being injured at the head. It is learned that 7 students were released on February 2, 2021 but they were detained once again on the same day. 98 of the students were released after statement procedure at the prosecutor’s office on February 2, 2021.
The police intervened the press declaration for the same cause in Izmir on February 2, 2021 and detained 27 people by using physical violence. It is learned that the police said “You cannot record anything that the state would not want” to prevent journalists, and then conducted a criminal record check on journalists and deleted the videos recorded by them. Detained 27 people were released after statement procedures on February 2, 2021. Detained people were: Ceyda Bostancı, Fırat Sertkaya, Anıl Şık, Rengin Oğuz, Güney Mengen, Ali Çadırcı, İsmail Temel, Pınar Usta, Murat Aksoy, Levent Topaloğlu, Elif Yerlikaya, Nagehan Sümen, Mustafa Naci Toper, Tuncay Yıldırım Özen, Arafe Meryem Yıldırım, Zilan Tayboğa, Anıl Işık, Fırat Sertkaya, Ceyda Bostancı and Utku with unknown surname.
The police intervened the press declaration for the same cause, in Ankara on February 2, 2021 and detained at least 70 people by using physical violence. It is reported that the detainees who were handcuffed behind their backs and face down on the ground, were subjected to torture and ill-treatment of the police. It is learned that the police prevented journalists from recording the intervention.
The police used pepper spray and rubber bullets to intervene the press declaration for the same cause in Kadıköy district of Istanbul on February 2, 2021. It is learned that at least 37 people were detained by physical violence. At least 6 people inducing Halk TV reporter Erdinç Yılmaz, cameraman Murat Erkmen and Broadcast and Printing Press Workers Union (DISK Basın-İş) executive Elif Akgül, are injured by rubber bullets and physical violence. It is also learned that the police tried to detained Barış Atay, Hatay MP of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) and committed physical violence against parliamentary members of HDP.
(02/025) Police Prevention to Protest About Hunger Strikes in Prison…
The police prevented the press declaration of HDP in Mersin on February 1, 2021; which was held to draw attention to indefinite hunger strikes that started on November 27, 2020 in prisons to demand an end to isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
(02/026) Police Intervention to Protest in Batman…
On January 29, 2021, the police have intervened the march of Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Free Women’s Movement (TJA), Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and HDP in Batman and detained 23 people including 6 children. On February 1, 2021, 6 children are released by the court provided that 4 of them will be on judicial control conditions. 17 people are released by the court on the same day.
Some of the detainees were: Taybet Tatlı, Seyhan Erener, Abdi Onur Çakır, Berfin Can, Halide Keser, Bermal Can, Leyla Bayram, Veysi Sarıtak, Aycan Dayanan, Mehmet Acar, Şiyar Koç, Emine Kaya, Suzan Aşkın, Besna Türkmen, Gülistan Yılmaz, Kezban Kuday, Ferhat Kalkan, Diyar Acar, Zekeriya Aşkın, Delil Ürek, Sezgin Yavuz, Nuran Acar, Hasan Erdem.
(02/027) Detained Students in Istanbul…
On February 2, 2021, numerous students at the bus station in front of Boğaziçi University campus in Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, are detained by the police using physical violence. It is learned that some of the busses were stopped by the police and the students in the busses were detained by the police using physical violence. It is also reported that the students waiting at Beşiktaş Ferry Terminal for Kadıköy ferry were stopped by the police for criminal record check and they were not allowed in the ferry.
(02/028) Detained Person in Van…
1 person (Muhammed Orhan) who was detained in Van on January 29, 2021 is arrested by the court on the charge of ‘committing crime on behalf of an illegal organisation’ on February 1, 2021.
(02/029) Detained People for Social Media Posts…
The Ministry of Interior declared on February 1, 2021 that in January 2021, 5,394 social media accounts were examined, legal actions were taken against 2,237 people and 118 people were detained, on the grounds of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
(02/030) Gezi Park Case…
On January 22, 2021, Istanbul Regional Court Penal Department No 3, has reversed the acquittal of 9 people (Osman Kavala, Mücella Yapıcı, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman, Ali Hakan Altınay, Yiğit Aksakoğlu, Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi, Çiğdem Mater Utku and Mine Özerden) by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 30 in the case about Gezi Park protests in Istanbul in 2013. On February 1, 2021, the local court has examined the case and ruled a ban of leaving the country for the defendants.
It is learned that the first trial of the case will be held on May 21, 2021.
(02/031) Journalist on Trial in Muş…
The final trial of the case against İdris Sayılğan, reporter of Dicle News Agency which was closed down by a state of emergency decree, is held at Muş Heavy Penal Court No 2 on February 1, 2021. The court sentenced İdris Sayılğan to 4 years on the charge of ‘successively making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
(02/032) HDP Executive, City Council Member, Association Chair and Other People on Trial in Van…
The trial of the case against 6 people (Berken Kızılboğa, city council member from HDP in Tuşba district of Van; Serap Güvenç, Star Women’s Association chair; Handan Karakoyun, HDP Van co-chair and 3 activists of Free Women’s Movement) is held at Van Heavy Penal Court No 7 on February 1, 2021. After defence hearings the court adjourned the trial to May 18, 2021.
(02/033) Ban of Events in Kadıköy…
Kadıköy Sub-Governorate made a declaration on February 2, 2021 and announced that all meetings and demonstrations in the district are banned for 7 days, on the grounds that it would “have a negative impact on protection of the society from pandemic and prevention of spread of the disease”.
(02/034) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 124 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and 636 new Covid-19 ill patients were diagnosed on February 1, 2021. It is also declared that the daily number of Covid-19 case is 7,719.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 26,117 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 2,485,182 as of February 1, 2021.
It is learned that doctor Uğur Yılmaz in Diyarbakır lost his life from Covid-19 on February 1, 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.
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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.