Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
9-11 March 2024 Daily Human Rights Report
(03/088) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Istanbul…
On March 9, 2024, Limter-Is chair Kanber Saygılı who was detained in a house raid in Istanbul, and his son Ekin Saygılı who was at home at the time, were subjected to physical violence of the police and Kanber Saygılı was wounded due to physical violence.
(03/089) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of March 9, 2024 that, prisoners in Samsun Kavak S Type Prison were forced to buy food from canteen because the food given to prisoners was not enough and filling, and 10 prisoners were subjected to physical violence and torture and ill-treatment by correction officers. Hanife Savcı, mother of Yaşar Savcı, a prisoner in Samsun Kavak S Type Prison, stated the following: “He said that the food given was very little and they were not full. He said that when they were given dry beans, there were only 4 beans in the meal. We have to send money to our child all the time. Because he has to buy something from the canteen and eat. My son said that his friends were taken to another room by the guards early in the morning. He said that his friends and 9 other people were tortured and beaten with iron truncheons throughout the day. He said that when his friend returned to the ward, he was so weak from the torture that he could no longer stand up.”
It is learned from the news coverage of March 10, 2024, that Gülistan Al, a prisoner in Kayseri Bünyan Women’s Prison, has been kept in a solitary room for 7 years; that books, notebooks and pens belonging to Gülistan Al were seized by the correction officers during a search in her room; and that Gülistan Al was not allowed by the prison administration to make phone calls to her mother who had an operation.
(03/090) March 31st Elections…
On March 8, 2024, 4 members of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) were detained in house raids in Ankara. The reason for the detention is unknown. The names of the detainees are Kahraman Yılmaz, Ali Yıldız, Gökçe Otlu, and Burcu Durak.
(03/091) March 31st Elections…
17 people, including Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Municipal Council Member candidates, who were detained in house raids in the Suruç district of Urfa on March 6, 2024, on the grounds of secret witness statements, were arrested by the Criminal Peace Judgeship on the charge of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’ on March 9, 2024. The names of the arrested people are Nihat Demirbilekli, Adem Ateş, Ahmet Ceylaner, Baran Karak, Bülent Yaşar, Hatice Yılmaz, Hikmet Ceylan, Hüseyin Ateş, Mehmet Yüce, Mehmet Emin Ateş, Mehmet Bali, Müslüm Baran, Nazlı Binici, Recep Bali and DEM Party Municipal Assembly Member candidates Selami Kip, Serkan Bali and Zeliha Polat.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 8, 2024, that Gültan Kışanak, DEM Party’s Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Co-Mayoral Candidate Gültan Kışanak, who is kept in Kocaeli Kandıra Type F High-Security Prison No 1, was not allowed by the prison administration to take photographs for election campaigns on the grounds of ‘lack of ministry approval’.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 9, 2024, that M.Ş.K., who participated in a street interview on March 7, 2024, was detained on the grounds of ‘provoking hatred and hostility among public or insult’. M.Ş.K. stated the following to the press: “After I finished my speech, 4-5 people took me by the arm and said ‘You come here’ and pulled me out of the crowd. Who are you? Are you a police officer? I said, ‘If you are police, show me your ID card.’ They said, ‘Never mind who we are, we will show you who we are. While conducting a body search, they took 20 thousand TL from my wallet and damaged my cell phone. Then they forcibly took me to the vehicle and beat me in the vehicle. ‘Bahçelievler is the AK Party’s stronghold. You cannot criticize Erdoğan and praise İmamoğlu here. Go do an interview in Bakırköy. Let’s never see you in Bahçelievler again’. Then they brought me to the police station. I definitely did not insult our President. The police said, ‘We are annoyed with you, that’s why we are taking you. They said we will go to a tavern and drink with your money. I filed a complaint against the police.”
It is learned from the news coverage of March 9, 2024, that an anonymous person or persons opened fire at the election vehicle of Yeniden Refah Party (YRP) in the Hadımköy neighbourhood of Arnavutköy district of Istanbul, and that no one was injured in the attack.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 9, 2024, that at least 3 people were detained for protesting at the opening of Soğanlı National Garden in Bursa, against Minister of Environment and Urban Planning and Justice and Development Party Bursa MP Mustafa Varank, for the trade relations between Israel and Turkey.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 11, 2024, that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) election office in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul was attacked by a group reported to be members of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). It is reported that there was no material damage and no one was injured.
It is learned from the news coverage of March 11, 2024, that CHP Karesi Youth Branch chair Mertcan Çakıcı and members of CHP were subjected to verbal and physical assault by a group of AKP members while hanging election posters of CHP Balıkesir Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Akın and Karesi Mayor Candidate Mesut Akbıyık in Karesi district of Balıkesir. Mertcan Çakıcı said the following about the attack in his statements to the press: “As Karesi District Youth Branch of Republican People’s Party, we were pasting posters of Ahmet Akın, our candidate for Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and Mesut Akbıyık, our candidate for Karesi. Suddenly a group of about 15 AKP members surrounded us, forcibly confiscated our phones, and beat us. We were kept under pressure for about half an hour in the center of the city. We were both threatened and beaten. We were cursed for minutes. At the head of the attacking group was Fahri Aydemir, AKP Karesi District executive and brother of AKP Balıkesir Provincial Chair Mehmet Aydemir. A friend of ours who came to the scene later recorded Aydemir’s repeated swearing on his cell phone. We filed a complaint against the AKP members who attacked us”.
(03/092) Party, Association, and Union Executive and Members Detained in Istanbul and Eskişehir…
On March 9, 2024, 9 people [DEM Party Istanbul Provincial Executive Ömer Akgün, SGDF Co-Chair Okan Danacı, SGDF Central Executive Committee (MYK) members Senem Pektaş, Hivda Selen, Berfin Polat, Adnan Özcan, Emrah Topaloğlu, Hüseyin İldan and Kanber Saygılı, President of Limter-İş (Limter-İş) affiliated to the Confederation of Revolutionary Unions (DİSK)] were detained in operations against the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and the Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF) in Istanbul and Eskisehir. It is also reported that police officers broke the door of a house where Etkin News Agency (ETHA) employees were residing, but no one was detained during the raid.
(03/093) Political Party Member Arrested in Ankara…
Among 4 ESP members (Kahraman Yılmaz, Ali Yıldız, Gökçe Otlu, and Burcu Durak) who were detained in house raids in Ankara on March 8, 2024, Kahraman Yılmaz was released the same day after statement procedures. Ali Yıldız and Burcu Durak were released on judicial control condition by the Criminal Peace Judgeship on March 10, 2024. Gökçe Otlu was arrested on the charges of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organization’.
(03/094) People Arrested in Ankara…
4 of 17 people (Busenur Öztürk, Muhammed Okay, Aynur Bildik and Dilan Yanık) who were detained in house raids in Ankara on March 5, 2024 on the grounds of ‘being a member of an illegal organization’, were released after statement procedures at the prosecutor’s office on March 8, 2024. 9 people (Abdulkadir Barkın, Diyar Hatip Bilen, Lokman Sevkan Özğan, Hüseyin Savcı, Fatma Çubuk, Hakkı Zengin, Mustafa Yetkin, Şehmus Akgül and Zübeyde Kaya) were arrested by the Criminal Peace Judgeship. Nujin Çiftçi, Helin Kaya, Ümit Bozan and an unnamed person were released by the Criminal Peace Judgeship on judicial control condition.
(03/095) Interventions Against the 8th of March Demonstrations…
On March 9, 2024, Adana Governorate banned the concert of Kolektîfa Rîtmên Azad music band at the Women’s Rally in Adana for March 8, International Women’s Day, on the grounds of an investigation against the band members.
(03/096) Special Security Zone in Şırnak…
The Governorate of Şırnak announced on March 11, 2024, that the Gabar Mountain Region within the borders of the Central District and Güçlükonak District of Şırnak Province has been declared as a temporary special security zone for 15 days between March 11 and March 25, 2024, and all access to the region is banned.
[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.