Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
5 November 2024 Daily Human Rights Report
(11/011) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan not Responded to…
It is learned that the appeal made on November 5, 2024, to the chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by lawyers in order to visit their clients PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş in İmralı Prison was not responded.
(11/012) Police Intervention in Protests Against the Trustee Decisions…
The police used tear gas to intervene with a peaceful gathering in front of the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality building on November 4, 2024, to protest the dismissal of co-mayors of Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti municipalities of Urfa and the appointment of trustees in their places. It is learned that Devrim Demir, a co-mayor of Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, who was replaced by a trustee, had health problems due to tear gas used during the intervention. It is not known whether anyone was detained during the intervention.
On 4 November 2024, after the press statement attended by Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Özgür Özel in front of the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality building in the evening, the police once again intervened with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. No one was detained during the intervention.
On 4 November 2024, the police used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to intervene in the protest in front of Batman city hall for the same reason and detained at least 75 people including city council members, using physical violence and handcuffing them behind their backs. The detainees whose names are known are as follows: Adem Tufan, Hatice Sönük, Mizgin Sönük, Muzaffer Yıldırım, Serhat Aslan, Urmiye Sönük, Emin Yıldız, Sultani Acar, Aliye Tok, Şilan Aydın, Fikret Soysal, Sibel Suna, Veysi Açıkalın, Özdemir Çelik, Tacettin Sevacı, Gülşen Kornaz, İbrahim Özsuna, Elida Koç, Hamza Gök Dilan Acar, Yusuf Kaya, Abdülsamet Hiso, Ramazan Bilmez, M. Can Barış, Muhsine Barış, Serdar Barış, Salih Tekin, Selime Cengiz, Musa Eren, Destegül Daş, Mehmet Salih Bayındır.
Batman Branch of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) made the following statement regarding the police interventions against the trustee protests: ‘A large number of citizens, including our lawyer friends, who were waiting in front of Êlih Municipality were beaten and detained and made to sit against the wall and handcuffed behind their backs.’
On 4 November 2024, the police intervened with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets against the protests in Petrolkent, Bağlar, Cudi, and Petrol neighborhoods of Batman in the evening. It is not known whether anybody was detained as a result of the intervention.
On 4 November 2024, the police intervened with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets against the protest in front of the municipality building in the Halfeti district of Urfa for the same reason. It is learned that some people were also subjected to physical violence by the police during the intervention. It is reported that no one was detained.
It is learned that 1 person was detained by the police using physical violence during the intervention against the protest for the same cause in Adana on November 4, 2024.
On 4 November 2024, the police intervened in the watch demonstration after the press statement in Van for the same reason, and detained 4 people. It is learned that 1 person was wounded due to a rubber bullet hitting his head during the intervention. Detained people were released after statement procedures on the same day. The names of detained people could not be learned.
It is learned that on 4 November 2024, in the Kağıthane district of Istanbul, elected municipal council members from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) threw water bottles at CHP municipal council members who were reading a statement condemning trustee appointments, and 2 municipal council members from CHP were wounded in the incidents. It is also stated in the news reports that Kağıthane Municipality police officers intervened to CHP Youth Branch members who were watching the council meeting.
(11/013) A Journalist Detained in Batman…
It is learned from the news coverage of 5 November 2024 that, Serhat Aslan, a reporter from Batman Sonsöz Newspaper, who was covering the protests against the dismissal of the Batman co-mayor and appointment of a trustee in his place, was detained in handcuffs behind his back after a police raid on the office of the newspaper and was released on the same day.
(11/014) Former Bar Association Chair Detained in Bitlis…
Lawyer Fuat Özgül, former chair of Bitlis Bar Association, was detained in a house raid on November 5, 2024, on the grounds of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’. It is learned that there is a confidentiality order on the file.
(11/015) People Detained for the Protests against the Trustee Decisions in Urfa and Mardin…
On 5 November 2024, at least 13 people were detained in house raids in the Halfeti district of Urfa, for trustee protests. Names of detained people are Adle Fidan, Muhammet Algaç, Elif Yalçın, Berivan Kocaoğlu, Yusuf Yeşiltepe, Gürkan Göktaş, Seve Yalçınkaya, Musa Yalçınkaya, Mehmet Aslan and İsmet İnce.
On 5 November 2024, 9 people were detained in house raids in Mardin, for trustee protests. The names of the detainees could not be learned.
(11/016) People Arrested in Mersin…
6 people who were detained in Mersin on November 1, 2024, were arrested by the Criminal Peace Judgeship on the charge of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’ on November 4, 2024. The names of the arrested people are as follows: Ervan Azad, Cengiz Soner, Enes Akkoyun, Mehmet Şefik Buğdaycı, Cengiz Budak.
(11/017) Halkevleri Members and Others Detained in Antalya…
On 5 November 2024, 12 people including 8 members of Halkevleri were detained in house raids in Antalya, on the grounds of slogans and anthems sung during 1 May celebrations.
(11/018) People Detained in Istanbul…
On 5 November 2024, 6 people including Grup Yorum member Rezzan Şengül were detained in house raids in Istanbul. The reason for the detentions could not be learned. The names of the detainees are Rezzan Şengül, Tacettin Şahin, Necla Can, Fahrettin Keskin, Ayşe Lerzan Conde and Feridun Osmanağaoğlu.
(11/019) A Lawyer on Trial in Ankara…
The final hearing of the lawsuit filed against Celal Çelik, a lawyer of the former CHP chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, due to his statements on former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, was held at Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No 37 on 4 November 2024. The court acquitted Celal Çelik on the charge of ‘insult’.
(11/020) A Person on Trial in Urfa…
On November 5, 2024, the first trial of the case against Emine Şenyaşar, whose husband Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar and sons Adil and Celal Şenyaşar were killed after a quarrel between Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP candidate İbrahim Halil Yıldız and his bodyguards and shopkeepers in the Suruç district of Urfa on June 14, 2018, was held at Urfa Penal Court of First Instance No 5 on the grounds of the peaceful watch she held on October 7, 2022. The indictment demands a sentence for Emine Şenyaşar on the charges of ‘insult’ and ‘resisting to prevent duty’. The court adjourned the hearing to 25 May 2025.
(11/021) A Musician on Trial in Bitlis…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 5, 2024, that the final trial of the case against musician Cesim Başboğa, for a song he sang at the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) congress, was held at Bitlis Heavy Penal Court No 2 on November 5, 2024, and he was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days on the charge of “making propaganda for an illegal organization”.
(11/022) The Suruç Massacre Case…
The trial of the case against fugitive defendants Deniz Büyükçelebi and İlhami Bali, for the bombing attack in the Suruç district of Urfa on 20 July 2015, in which 33 people lost their lives, continued on 5 November 2024 at Urfa Heavy Penal Court No 5. The court adjourned the trial to 29 April 2025.
(11/023) Banned Events and Demonstrations…
The Governorate of Şırnak announced on 4 November 2024 that, all open-door meetings, demonstrations, press statements, sit-in protests, opening tents, petitions, opening stands, commemorations, festivals, concerts, all kinds of audio and visual activities, distributing leaflets, brochures, hanging banners and similar actions and activities as well as the entry and exit of people who are considered to be able to participate in these activities are banned for 10 days between 4 November 2024 and 13 November 2024.
The Governorate of Diyarbakır announced on 4 November 2024 that, press statements, meetings, marches, hunger strikes, sit-in protests, rallies, opening stands, pitching tents, distributing leaflets and brochures, hanging banners and posters and similar actions and activities as well as entry to and exit from the province borders of the people who are considered to participate in these actions and activities are banned for 2 days between 4 November 2024 and 6 November 2024.
The Governorate of Ağrı announced on 5 November 2024 that, press statements, meetings, marches, hunger strikes, sit-in protests, rallies, opening stands, setting up tents, distributing leaflets, hanging banners and similar actions and activities and the entry and exit of people who are considered to be able to participate in these activities are banned for 6 days between 5 November 2024 and 11 November 2024.
(11/024) Municipality Councillors Prevented from Entering the Municipality Building…
It is learned from the news coverage of 5 November 2024 that, municipality councillors elected from CHP were not allowed into Istanbul Esenyurt municipality building.
(11/025) Ban of Access to Web Content…
It is learned from the news coverage of 4 November 2024 that, 3 news reports on https://www.sabah.com.tr, https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr, https://www.odatv.com websites about a murder case in Burdur, were banned from access pursuant to Article 8/a of Law No 5651 on Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed Through These Publications.
It is learned from the news coverage of 4 November 2024 that, the social metaverse platform IMVU, which was previously banned for download from Turkey, was banned from access by Ankara Penal Court of Peace No 3 on 2 November 2024.
(11/026) Books not issued with Bandrol…
It is learned from the news coverage of 1 November 2024 that the banderole application for 2 books published by Aryen Publications, ‘Gün Işırken’ by Nilüfer Şahin and ‘Umut ve Mavi’ by Fırat Can, was rejected ‘due to a judicial decision on the book subject to the application’. It is stated in the news reports that Eskişehir Penal Criminal Peace Judgeship No 2 and Izmir Criminal Peace Judgeship No 2 issued a nationwide ban and recall decision on these two books in 2022, and the publishing house was not informed about these decisions.
(11/027) People Detained Through Konya, Istanbul, and Izmir-based Investigations…
On 4 November 2024, 9 people were detained in operations conducted in 6 cities through a Konya-based investigation against ‘military secret structuring’.
2 of the 11 people who were detained on 1 November 2024 in Istanbul were arrested by the Criminal Peace Judgeship on 4 November 2024 on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’. 9 people were released, 1 on house confinement and 3 on judicial control conditions.
According to the news coverage of 5 November 2024, 13 people were detained in house raids in Izmir and Mersin through an Izmir-based investigation on the allegations of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’.
[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.