Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
7 June 2023 Daily Human Rights Report
(06/051) Male Violence Monitoring Report…
According to the “Male Violence Monitoring Report” of Bianet published on June 5, 2023, at least 38 women and 2 children got killed by men in May 2023. It is also reported that at least 61 women were subjected to violence, 5 women were harassed, 16 children were abused, 17 women were forced to sex work by men in May 2023. Thus, in the first 5 months of 2023, men killed 127 women, harassed 20 women, abused 40 children, committed violence against 295 women, raped 6 women and forced 132 women to sex work.
(06/052) Soldier Died in Adana…
It is learned that Senior Master Sergeant Bayram Boyraz was found dead in his home in Tufanbeyli district of Adana on June 6, 2023. An investigation has been launched on the soldier’s death.
(06/053) Village Guard Died in Şırnak…
It is learned from the news coverage of June 7, 2023 that HPG claimed responsibility for the death of a village guard named Mustafa Erdem was found shot in the head in his car which was set on fire in Cizre district of Şırnak on June 4, 2023.
(06/054) Discrimination Allegation in Antalya…
It is claimed in the news coverage of June 7, 2023 that the rent contract signed by 2 Kurdish students of Akdeniz University in Antalya was cancelled by the real estate office after they received a call from the police threatening them. One of the students stated the following to the press: “After we rented the house, we paid the fee and signed the contract. On the way home, the real estate agent called me and said that a police officer from anti-terror department (…) called him. The realtor said that the police threatened him, saying, ‘These are terrorists, do not rent them houses’. Later, the real estate agent called us and said that he had given up on giving the house (…) We have been facing these problems for 2 years. They even prevent us from sheltering. Even at school, we are constantly being followed. They go to every student we come into contact with and say that we are ‘terrorists’ and pressure them not to talk to us.”
(06/055) Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan Not Responded…
It is learned that the appeal made on June 6, 2023 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by the lawyers of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, in order to visit him was not responded.
(06/056) Gendarmerie Intervention to March in Şırnak…
It is learned that the gendarmerie used tear gas and pressurized water to intervene in people protesting the removal of electricity counters to electricity poles in Oyalı village of İdil district of Şırnak on June 6, 2023. It is reported that nobody was detained in the intervention.
(06/057) Detained Journalist in Ankara…
Mezopotamya News Agency reporter Fırat Can Arslan was detained in Ankara on June 7, 2023 on the grounds of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.
(06/058) Detained People in Bitlis…
It is learned that 8 people were detained in house raids in central, Tatvan, Güroymak and Hizan districts of Bitlis and was taken to the Provincial Gendarmerie Command on June 6, 2023. The names of detained people and the reason for detention could not be learned.
(06/059) Detained People in Şırnak…
It is learned that 2 people were detained in house raids in Cizre district of Şırnak on June 7, 2023. The names of detained people and the reason for detention could not be learned.
(06/060) Arrested Child in Mersin for ‘Insulting the President’…
It is learned that the 16-year-old child who was detained through the investigation regarding the drawings and writing insulting words on posters with the President’s photo, was arrested by the court on the charge of ‘insulting the President’ on June 6, 2023.
(06/061) Former HDP Co-Chair on Trial in Batman…
The final trial of the case against the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, over the Newroz celebration in Batman in 2016, is held at Batman Penal Court of First Instance No. 2 on June 6, 2023. The court acquitted Selahattin Demirtaş.
(06/062) Human Rights Defenders on Trial…
On November 22, 2022, the Penal Department No. 3 of the Court of Cassation has concluded on the appeal against the convictions of 11 human rights defenders by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 35 on and overturned the verdicts on the grounds of “a judgment with incomplete research” and “lack of conclusive evidence”. The retrial of the case is held on June 6, 2023. The court decided to acquit 4 people.
10 human rights defenders were detained during a meeting in Istanbul Büyükada on July 5, 2017. Human rights defenders for whom detention period was extended to 14 days, were referred to the court on July 12, 2017. The court arrested Amnesty International Turkey Director İdil Eser, Özlem Dalkıran from Citizens Assembly, Günal Kurşun and Veli Acu from Human Rights Agenda Association, Ali Gharavi (citizen of Switzerland) and Peter Steudtner (citizen of Germany) and released İlknur Üstün from Women’s Coalition, Nalan Ekrem from Citizens Assembly, Nejat Taştan from Association for Monitoring Equal Rights and Şeyhmus Özbekli from Rights Initiative on juridical control conditions. Taner Kılıç was detained on June 6, 2017 and was arrested on June 9, 2017. On July 21, upon the prosecutor’s office’s objection to the release, a detention warrant was issued for four of the human rights defenders. İlknur Üstün and Nalan Ekrem were arrested on July 23, 2017, and Nejat Taştan and Şeyhmus Özbekli were released on juridical control conditions. On the first trial of the case which was held on October 25, 2017 eight human rights defenders were released on control conditions. Taner Kılıç was released on August 15, 2018, by an interim decision of the court in regular case review. Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 35 has sentenced Taner Kılıç to 6 years and 3 months for ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and Günal Kurşun, İdil Eser and Özlem Dalkıran to 2 years and 1 month for ‘aiding an illegal organisation’ on July 3, 2023.
(06/063) Lawyer on Trial in Izmir…
The final trial of the case against lawyer Aryen Turan, a member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) is held at Izmir Heavy Penal Court No. 18 on June 7, 2023. The indictment demands sentence for Aryen Turan from 2 years and 6 months to 10 years on the charge of ‘knowingly and willingly aiding an illegal organisation’, over her expressions regarding the allegations of the use of chemical weapons during the Claw-Lock military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government and for the slogan “Jin jiyan azadi” in her speech at the Bar Association Congress.
The prosecutor declared legal opinion on the case and demanded acquittal since the speech in question was not within the scope of ‘aiding an illegal organization’ and the act was not considered a crime in the law. The court decided acquit of Aryen Turan.
Aryen Turan was detained on November 3, 2022 through the investigation against her and was released by the court with a ban on leaving the country and on judicial control conditions on November 4, 2022.
(06/064) Journalist on Trial in Ankara…
The trial of the case against ANKA News Agency’s editor-in-chief Mansur Çelik, over a news report about Deputy Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, is held at Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 22 on June 6, 2023. The indictment demands sentence for Mansur Çelik on the charge of ‘targeting a public official who took part in the fight against terrorism’. The court decided to continue the ban of leaving the country for Mansur Çelik and adjourned the trial to September 7, 2023.
(06/065) People on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of the case against 16 people for a press declaration about ill prisoners, is held at Bakırköy Penal Court of First Instance No. 5 on June 6, 2023. The court adjourned the trial to October 26, 2023.
(06/066) People on Trial in Urfa…
The trial of the case against 9 people (Şahin Tümüklü, Çağla Seven, Koray Türkay, Feti Aydın, Sultan Yıldız, Mehmet Özkan, Özgen Sadet, Yusuf Yurtgül and Yasemin Boyraz) related to those who died in the Suruç Massacre, on the grounds of they reacted against the court board during the trial of the case on the incident held on October 20, 2021 is held at Urfa Penal Court of First Instance No. 5 on June 7, 2023. The indictment demands sentence for 9 people on the charges of ‘threat’ and ‘insult’. After defence hearings the court adjourned the trial to February 7, 2024.
(06/067) Police Officer on Trial…
The trial of the case against police officer A. D. regarding death of Zuhal Ebrar Yıldız (18) by police fire which was opened for a disobedience to stop warning, in Beyoğlu district of Istanbul on December 12, 2022; is held at Istanbul Bakırköy Penal Court of First Instance No. 45 on June 6, 2023. The indictment demands sentence for the defendant police officer on the charge of ‘killing with conscience negligence’. The arrested police officer A. D. attended the trial. After defence hearings the court decided to release the police officer and adjourned the trial.
(06/068) Interventions and Bans on Pride Month Events…
It is learned from the news coverage of June 6, 2023 that, a film screening to be held in a cafe in Şişli as part of Pride Month, organized by the University Feminist Collective was banned by the Şişli District Governorate’s Office on the grounds that it “may arouse public anger and threaten social peace”.
(06/069) Ban of Access to Web Contents…
It is learned that the website of manga and web toon contents http://jiangzaitoon.io was banned to access by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) on May 29, 2023. The website http://jiangzaitoon.biz containing same content was banned to access by VTK ın May 17, 2023.
[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.