Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
23 February 2024 Daily Human Rights Report
(02/225) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 23, 2024, that 25 of the people who were arrested in connection with the armed attack in Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse on February 6, 2024, and were kept in Istanbul Marmara (Silivri) Prison, were transferred to Ankara Sincan Women’s Prison, Kocaeli Gebze M Type Prison, Kocaeli F Type Prison No 1, Antalya Manavgat S Type Prison, Kayseri Women’s Prison and Izmir Women’s Prison against their will.
(02/226) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan Not Responded to…
It is learned that the appeal made on February 23, 2024, to the chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by families and tutelary of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, and Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in Imralı Prison, to visit them was not responded to.
(02/227) March 31st Elections…
İzzet Ulvi Yönter, Deputy Chairperson of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), made a racist and discriminatory statement on February 22, 2024, during his visit to the MHP Pendik District Headquarters: “Are we going to fight against the earthquake with Ekrem İmamoğlu, who made Istanbul the city of Armenians and Assyrians?”
(02/228) Peaceful Demonstration Prevented in Istanbul…
Istanbul University students, who were to hold a forum on February 22, 2024, to protest the decision to open the Istanbul University campus to visitors, were prevented from entering the campus by the police. It is reported that the students overcame the police barricades and held the forum.
(02/229) Former Political Party Executive and MPs on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ and former MPs Çağlar Demirel, İdris Baluken, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Saadet Becerikli, Mehmet Ali Aslan, Ahmet Yıldırım and Altan Tan, for their visits during the curfews in 2015, continued on February 22, 2024, at Diyarbakır Silvan Penal Court of First Instance. The indictment demands a sentence for 8 people on the charges of ‘resisting against duty’, ‘insulting a public officer due to their duty’, and ‘insulting the President’. The court adjourned the trial to May 9, 2024.
(02/230) HDP Executives on Trial in Diyarbakır…
The trial of the case against HDP’s former Diyarbakır provincial co-chairs Zeyyat Ceyhan and Hülya Alökmen Uyanık continued on February 22, 2024, at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 5. The indictment demands a sentence for Zeyyat Ceyhan and Hülya Alökmen Uyanık on the charges of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’ on the grounds of their political activities and the demonstrations and events they participated in. The court adjourned the hearing to May 16, 2024.
(02/231) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The retrial of the case against journalist Canan Coşkun, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 14 on the grounds of ‘targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism’ in a news article she published, continued on February 22, 2024, after the Constitutional Court ruled that there was a violation of rights in terms of freedom of expression. The court ruled to dismiss the case.
(02/232) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against Pınar Gayıp, editor of Etkin News Agency (ETHA), continued on February 22, 2024, at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 16. The indictment demands a sentence for the journalist on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’. The court decided to continue the judicial control condition on the journalist and adjourned the trial to June 6, 2024.
The file of the case filed against Pınar Gayıp at Eskişehir Heavy Penal Court No. 2 on the grounds that information was sent to her about the protests in Eskişehir was merged with the file at Istanbul Courthouse Heavy Penal Court No. 26 on the grounds that the charges were the same.
(02/233) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against journalist Gözde Bedeloğlu for her article titled “Those who protect the state from yesterday to today” published in BirGün newspaper, continued on February 22, 2024, at Istanbul Anadolu Penal Court of First Instance No 2. The prosecutor declared his final opinion on the case and demanded a sentence for the journalist on the charge of ‘insulting a public officer for their duty’. The court adjourned the hearing to May 23, 2024.
(02/234) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
Die Welt newspaper’s former Turkey correspondent Deniz Yücel, who was charged with insulting the former Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, was given a judicial fine of 7080 TL at the final hearing of the case held at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 24 on February 8, 2022, and the judicial fine of 7080 TL was upheld by Penal Department 24 of Istanbul Regional Court of Appeals.
(02/235) Lawyer on Trial for a Social Media Post…
The final hearing of the case against lawyer Tugay Bek on the grounds of ‘insulting a public officer’ through a social media post on the complaint of Gendarmerie General Commander Arif Çetin, was held on February 22, 2024, at Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No 44. The court acquitted the lawyer.
(02/236) Saturday Mothers/People on Trial…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 22, 2024, that the prosecutor’s office prepared an indictment against the peaceful gathering of Saturday Mothers/People on June 10, 2023, and demanded that Saturday Mothers/People be sentenced for ‘violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations’. The indictment also calls for the Saturday Mothers/People to be punished under Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) (with conviction, the exercise of certain rights may be compulsorily prohibited). The first hearing of the case will be held at Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No. 39 on February 27, 2024.
(02/237) Police Officer on Trial in Elazığ…
The trial of the case against police officer Ö. F. T., on journalist Ardıl Batmaz’s being subjected to physical violence while following news reports in Elazığ, continued on February 22, 2024, at Elazığ Penal Court of First Instance No 5. The indictment demands a sentence for the defendant police officer on the charge of ‘simple injury’. The court adjourned the hearing to June 27, 2024.
(02/238) Police Officer on Trial in Istanbul…
On February 23, 2024, the trial of the case against police officer A. D. for the death of Zuhal Ebrar Yıldız (18), who was passing by on December 12, 2022, in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, due to being shot by a police officer, continued at Istanbul Bakırköy Penal Court of First Instance No 45. The prosecutor declared the final opinion on the case and demanded a prison sentence from 2 years 8 months to 9 years for police officer A. D. on the charge of ‘causing death with conscious negligence’. The court adjourned the trial to a later date.
(02/239) Person on Trial for Allegedly Threatening Bar Association Chair in Diyarbakır…
The first trial of the case against Fatih Haral, who shared personal information and photos of Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Nahit Eren and his family and threatened them with death, started on February 22, 2024, at Diyarbakır Penal Court of First Instance No 9. The indictment demands a sentence for Fatih Haral on the charges of ‘insulting with a written or visual message’ and ‘simple threat’. The court adjourned the hearing to April 25, 2024.
(02/240) Journalist’s Criminal Complaint on Torture and Other Ill-Treatment…
On October 25, 2022, journalist Derya Ren was arrested in Diyarbakır and was forced to be examined in handcuffs at Selahattin Eyyubi State Hospital where she was taken for a medical check-up. The prosecutor’s office evaluated the criminal complaint filed by journalist Derya Ren to Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the torture and ill-treatment she was subjected to and issued a decision of ‘no prosecution’ on February 22, 2024.
(02/241) The Constitutional Court Decisions on Can Atalay…
On February 22, 2024, the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court ruled on two separate applications to the Constitutional Court (AYM) filed by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Can Atalay’s lawyers for the annulment of the parliamentary deprivation of Can Atalay, Hatay MP of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP), by the decision of the Penal Department No. 3 of the Court of Cassation, which was read in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) on January 30, 2024. The Constitutional Court ruled that there was no need for a decision in both applications.
(02/242) Event Banned in Ankara…
It is learned from the news coverage of February 23, 2024, that the 12th Pink Life Queerfest, which was to be held between February 23 – 25, 2024, with the theme of ‘Return to Ankara’, was banned by the Governorate of Ankara and the ban decision was notified to the relevant venues.
(02/243) People Detained and Arrested in Relation with the Coup Attempt…
23 people were detained in house raids in Izmir on February 23, 2024.
[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.