Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
20 January 2026 Daily Human Rights Report
(01/106) Police Intervention to Protests in Van, Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Batman…
During the police intervention against the protest organized in Van on January 19, 2026, 54 people including Van Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayors Neslihan Şedal and Abdullah Zeydan, Van Bar Association President Sinan Özaraz, Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) Van Representative Emrah Kertiş, TİHV Van Regional Solidarity Group Coordinator Hüseyin Yaviç, Human Rights Association (İHD) Van Branch Co-Chair Mehmet Salih Coşkun were detained by physical violence. 54 people were released on the same day after statement procedures at the police. The names of the detainees are as follows: Şevket Aslan, Zozan Bor, Edibe Babür, Hamdullah Kumli, Ömer Işık, Aynur Sarıca, Sinan Ok, Gönül Uzunay, Mizgin Avras, Aynur Sarıca, Fazıl Alçiçek, Tuncer Bayram, Zafer Aydın, Hanım Kaya, Hasan Çetin, Hüseyin Yaviç, Cemal Demir.
During the police intervention against the protest organized for the same cause in Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, 20 people including DEM Party Istanbul Co-Chair Çınar Altan were detained. 20 people were released on judicial control conditions by the criminal court of peace on January 20, 2026.
The police intervened the protest organized for the same cause in Diyarbakır on January 19, 2026 and detained 2 people. The 2 people were released after statement procedures at the police on the same day. The names of the people could not be learned.
The police intervened the protest organized in Batman for the same reason. It is not known how many people were detained during the intervention.
The police intervened the protest organized for the same cause in Van on January 20, 2026 and detained 6 people including HRFT Van Representative Emrah Kertiş, using physical violence. The detainees were released the same day after statement procedures at the police.
(01/107) Detained Journalist in Bursa…
BursaMuhalif.com News Director Uğur Ökdemir was detained on January 19, 2026 due to his remarks in a program he attended and was released the same day after statement procedures at the police.
(01/108) French Citizen Journalist Detained While Following News in Istanbul…
French citizen journalist Raphaël Boucandora was detained on January 20, 2026 in Sancaktepe district of Istanbul while covering a protest about the attacks against Kurds in Syria.
(01/109) Detained People in Istanbul…
4 of 16 people including 2 children who were detained in Istanbul on January 16, 2026, are arrested by the criminal court of peace on January 19, 2026 on the charge of ‘being an illegal organization member’. 12 people were released 1 of them on judicial control conditions. The names of the detainees could not be learned.
(01/110) Former Mayors and Municipality Executives on Trial…
The final hearing of the case against 25 people, 5 of whom are arrested, including former Sarıyer Mayor Şükrü Genç, Ataşehir Deputy Mayor Kalender Özdemir, Maltepe District Deputy Mayor Haydar Battal and Maltepe District Mayor’s Chief of Staff Melih Morsünbül, was held at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 13 on January 19, 2026. The court sentenced Şükrü Genç to 7 years and 6 months for ‘providing finance to an illegal organization’. The court sentenced 20 people to jail penalties from 2 years and 1 month to 7 years and 6 months for the same charge, acquitted 4 people and released 2 people.
13 people including Şükrü Genç were arrested on March 14, 2025.
(01/111) Journalists and Other People on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against 19 journalists through the investigation against Pel Yapım, Piya Yapım and Arî Yapım companies continued on January 20, 2026 at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 4. The indictment demands sentence for 19 people on the charge of ‘being an illegal organization member’. The court ruled to continue the judicial control measure of ban on leaving the country and adjourned the trial to April 9, 2026.
(01/112) Association Executives on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against TÜSİAD Chairman Orhan Turan and TÜSİAD High Advisory Council Chairman Ömer Aras continued on January 20, 2026 at Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance No 28. The indictment demands sentence for 2 people on the charges of ‘attempting to influence a fair trial’ and ‘publicly disseminating misleading information’. The court adjourned the trial to March 6, 2026.
(01/113) People on Trial in Ankara…
The trial of the case against 24 people for participating in METU Pride March in 2022 continued on January 20, 2026 at Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No 30. The court adjourned the trial to April 21, 2025.
(01/114) People on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against 4 people including journalist Buse Söğütlü, for participating in the 21st Feminist Night March in Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, on the charges of ‘violating Law No 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations’, ‘resisting to prevent the execution of duty’ and ‘insult’, continued on January 20, 2026 at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 10. The court adjourned the trial to April 15, 2025.
(01/115) MPs with Proceedings Against Them…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 19, 2026 that, 14 proceedings demanding lift of impunity of 10 parliamentary members of parliament are sent to Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).
Members of parliament against whom proceedings have been prepared:
- Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman and Manisa MP Özgür Özel (6 proceedings)
- CHP Group Deputy Chairman and Mersin MP Ali Mahir Başarır (4 proceedings)
- CHP Istanbul MP Özgür Karabat
- CHP Aydın MP Süleyman Bülbül
- CHP Ordu MP Seyit Torun
- IYI Party Group Deputy Chairman and Balıkesir MP Turhan Çömez
- IYI Party Kocaeli MP Lütfi Türkkan (2 Proceedings)
- DEM Party Hakkari MP Vezir Coşkun Parlak
- DEM Party Istanbul MP Özgür Saki
- Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) Istanbul MP Ahmet Işık
(01/116) Access Restricted Social Media Accounts…
It is learned from the news coverage of January 19, 2026 that 3 X social media accounts of Mezopotamya news agency in Turkish, Kurdish and English were banned from access upon the demand of Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) and the accounts were made invisible from Turkey.
[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.