Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
6 – 7 July 2025 Daily Human Rights Report
(07/043) Operations and Attacks…
It is learnt from news reports on July 7, 2025 that during a search operation in a cave within the borders of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on July 7, 2025, as part of the ongoing “Claw-Lock” operation, 19 soldiers were poisoned by methane gas.
On the same day, the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) announced that 12 soldiers (Ege Akar, Abdurrahman Akdoğan, Özkan Özkanlı, Mahsun Yeşildemir, Ahmet Kuşak, Ümit Üzüm, Celalettin Uyanık, Ahmet Gültekin, Furkan Sert, Fikret Mangura, Enver Yaman, Kani Obi) had died as a result of methane gas poisoning.
(07/044) Male Violence Monitoring Report…
According to Bianet’s “Male Violence Register,” at least 14 women and 4 children were killed by men across Turkey in May 2025. The statement also reported that men subjected at least 68 women to violence, harassed 18 women, abused 18 children, and forced 128 women into sex work.
(07/045) Individual Subjected to Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Van…
It is learnt from news reports on July 7, 2025 that during a police raid on a house in Van’s Saray district on July 4, 2025, an individual identified as N.H. was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and a police officer pointed a gun at his wife, G.H. N.H. reportedly sustained injuries to various parts of his body due to the torture and ill-treatment.
N.H. made the following statement to the press:
“Our house was raided at 6:00 AM. I went to the door. The special operations police saw me. They told me to ‘stop.’ I said I had stopped. Then about 40 police officers pointed their guns at me. I was only wearing my nightclothes. I went out into the yard. They told me to lie down on my stomach, but I said my knees hurt and I couldn’t. Then they swore at me with unspeakable insults in front of my wife. They tied my hands behind my back and continued to curse and insult me. One of them kicked me and hit my head with a rifle butt. My head hit the concrete, and the inside of my nose tore. (…) One of them squeezed my carotid artery with his fingers; for a while, I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was going to die. They got on top of me and beat me for minutes, and my whole body turned black and blue. (…) The police also put a gun to my wife’s head and threatened to kill her. They took my wife to a room and continued to torture me. I told them many times that I had chronic diabetes and high blood pressure, but they didn’t listen. When the bleeding from the beating wouldn’t stop, they took me to the hospital, and my wife was left alone. My kidney was damaged due to the blows and my blood pressure.”
G.H. stated the following in her press statement:
“I tried to intervene when they were beating my husband, but they put a gun to my head and took me to a room. They also took all his bloody clothes and didn’t leave any evidence. (…) They wanted me to sign some papers, but I told them I couldn’t because I couldn’t read or write. Then they brought a mukhtar and had him stamp the paper. He wasn’t the mukhtar of our village.”
(07/046) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learnt from news reports on July 7, 2025 that prisons located within the Istanbul Marmara (Silivri) Penal Institutions Campus, Istanbul Ümraniye Type E Prison, Istanbul Ümraniye Type T Prison, and Istanbul Kartal Type H Prison, as well as Istanbul Maltepe Prison, are over capacity.
(07/047) Prisoner Denied Right to Healthcare in Prison…
On July 6, 2025, it was reported that prisoners in Tokat Type T Prison who refused to undergo a strip search during transfer were denied transfer to the hospital, and the prison administration initiated disciplinary investigations against them. The report stated that due to being denied hospital transfer, prisoner Ömer Yaman (70) did not receive cataract treatment and consequently lost sight in his left eye.
It is learnt from news reports on July 7, 2025 that Perihan Sevda Erkılıç, a prisoner with celiac disease held in Istanbul Bakırköy Women’s Prison, was denied hospital transfer and was given gluten-containing foods despite her condition.
(07/048) Mayor Detained in Antalya…
On July 5, 2025, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Muhittin Böcek, who was detained on allegations of “bribery,” was arrested by the penal judgeship of peace on the same day.
(07/049) Municipality Executive, Lawyer, and Others Detained in Istanbul…
On July 5, 2025, as part of an investigation targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, three individuals were detained. Among them were Ahmet Şahin, who was elected as acting mayor by the municipal council to replace Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün (who was arrested and removed from office in the same investigation), and Attorney Onur Büyükhatipoğlu.
(07/050) Journalist Detained in Istanbul…
On July 5, 2025, journalist Timur Soykan was detained in Istanbul on allegations of “inciting crime” and “publicly spreading misleading information,” citing his social media posts. On July 6, 2025, he was released under judicial control by the penal judgeship of peace to which he was referred.
(07/051) Investigation Launched Against Political Party Leader…
News reports on July 6, 2025, revealed that an investigation was launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Özgür Özel, Chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Manisa Member of Parliament. The investigation, initiated on July 5, 2025, is based on his statements made during a press conference and includes allegations of “insulting the President,” “publicly inciting crime,” “insulting a public official due to their duty,” and “threat.”
(07/052) Municipal Council Member Under Investigation…
News reports on July 5, 2025, indicated that an investigation has been launched against Hasan Şencan, a Municipal Council Member for both Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and Şahinbey Municipality. The investigation is based on a social media post he made in 2020, and as part of the inquiry, Hasan Şencan reportedly went to a police station to give his statement.
(07/053) Individual on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial against manager Ayşe Barım began on July 7, 2025, at the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 26. The case was filed because she allegedly participated in the 2013 Gezi Protests with artists represented by her agency. The indictment seeks to punish Ayşe Barım for the crime of “aiding an attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey.” After hearing the defenses, the court decided to continue Ayşe Barım’s detention and adjourned the hearing to October 1, 2025.
Ayşe Barım was arrested on January 27, 2025.
(07/054) Event Cancelled in Antep…
It was reported on July 7, 2025, that the Antep City Council cancelled the allocation of a venue for the “Strong Collaborations Program for Gender Equality at the Local Level” event, which was scheduled to take place in Antep on July 8-9, 2025, and was organized by various rights organizations.
[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.