Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
9 September 2025 Daily Human Rights Report
(09/048) Female Violence Monitoring Report…
According to the ‘Record of Male Violence’ published by Bianet, at least 25 women were killed by men across Turkey in August 2026. The statement also noted that men had subjected at least 71 women to violence, sexually harassed 21 women, abused 9 children and forced 69 women into sex work.
(09/049) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment During a House Raid in Mardin…
According to news reports on 9 September 2026, it emerged that during a raid on a house in the Kızıltepe district of Mardin, R. K.,the person detained, and other individuals present in the house were subjected to physical and verbal violence by the police.
(09/050) Prisoners Denied the Right to Healthcare…
According to press reports on 9 September 2026, prisoners Ebru Yiğit and Satiye Ok, held at Istanbul Bakırköy Women’s Prison, on 18 August 2026, whilst Ebru Yiğit and Nurgül Uci were taken to hospital on 28 August 2026, where they were returned to the prison without receiving treatment after refusing to undergo a medical examination whilst handcuffed and escorted by gendarmes. News reports also stated that disciplinary investigations had been launched against the prisoners in question. In this context, it was stated that Ebru Yiğit and Satiye Ok had been given disciplinary penalties following the investigations opened against them; whilst the investigation into Ebru Yiğit and Nurgül Uci is still ongoing.
(09/051) Individuals Detained in Mardin…
On 9 September 2026, during house raids carried out in the Kızıltepe district of Mardin, three people (S.A., R.K. and R.L.) were detained on suspicion of ‘spreading organisational propaganda’. The three detainees were released on judicial supervision by the magistrates’ court to which they were referred on the same day.
(09/052) Academic Against Whom an Indictment Has Been Prepared Due to a PhD Thesis Written Abroad…
An indictment has been drawn up against Güllistan Yarkın, an academic who completed her PhD in Sociology at the State University of New York (SUNY) in the United States (US) and currently resides in Germany, regarding her doctoral thesis titled “The Making of National-Racial Formation and Coloniality in Turkey: Turkish-Kurdish Relations in a Working-Class District of Zeytinburnu in Istanbul, 1950–2017”, it has been reported that the indictment drawn up by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 17 August 2026, following a report by the Inter-University Council (ÜAK), has been accepted by the Ankara Criminal Court of First Instance No. 92. The indictment seeks the prosecution of Dr Güllistan Yarkın under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). The first hearing in the case is scheduled for 6 October 2026.
In a pre-trial hearing record dated 21 August 2026, the court also ruled to revoke the arrest warrant issued on 18 June 2026 on the grounds that Dr Güllistan Yarkın’s statement had not been taken during the investigation phase, and to issue a new arrest warrant with the aim of taking her defence statement during the prosecution phase and subsequently releasing her.
The Higher Education Council (ÜAK), Turkey’s sole authorised body for the recognition of doctoral degrees awarded abroad, had rejected Dr Güllistan Yarkın’s application for recognition of her doctoral degree in its decision dated 23 September 2020. In its decision to reject the application, the ÜAK cited Yarkın’s treatment of the Kurdish issue within a framework of colonialism in her doctoral thesis; her use of terms such as ‘Northern Kurdistan’, ‘Turkish colonial regime’, “Dersim Genocide” and “Armenian Genocide”, and that certain assessments regarding the PKK constituted the offence of iilegal organisation propaganda as set out in Article 7(2) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, whilst certain statements were of a nature that could constitute an offence under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
However, following its investigation, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office decided that there were no grounds for prosecution on the charge of “propagandising for an organisation”. In contrast, the Public Prosecutor’s Office brought charges under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code regarding sections of the thesis containing expressions such as “Armenian Genocide”, “Dersim Genocide”, “Northern Kurdistan” and “Turkish colonial regime”, as well as certain assessments relating to the PKK.
(09/053) The Trial of the Mayor of Rize…
The trial of Ercüment Şahin Çervatoğlu, Mayor of Fındıklı in Rize, in connection with a protest against mining exploration works planned by TÜPRAG Metal Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. within the district’s boundaries, began on 9 September 2026 at the Pazar Criminal Court of First Instance.
The indictment seeks the prosecution of Ercüment Şahin Çervatoğlu on charges of “depriving a person of their liberty” and “obstructing, hijacking or seizing the movement of transport vehicles”.
The court adjourned the hearing until 26 October 2026 due to technical difficulties.
(09/054) The Trial of the Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and Others…
The trial of 41 individuals, including the Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, Muhittin Böcek, which was brought before the Antalya Heavy Penal Court No. 6, resumed on 8 September 2026. The indictment seeks the conviction of the 41 individuals on charges of “extortion”, “unlawful acquisition of property”, “abuse of influence”, “laundering of proceeds of crime”, “aggravated fraud” and “slander”. The court ruled that Muhittin Böcek and his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek should remain in custody and adjourned the hearing until 3 November 2026.
Muhittin Böcek was arrested on 5 July 2026 and suspended from office by the Ministry of the Interior on 7 July 2026.
(09/055) Publishing House Editor on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of Hasan Polat, editor of Ceylan Publications, which was brought before the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 24, resumed on 8 September 2026. The indictment seeks the conviction of Hasan Polat on the charge of “membership of an organisation”. The court ruled that Hasan Polat should continue to be kept in custody and adjourned the hearing until 13 October 2026.
Hasan Polat had been arrested on 3 February 2026.
(09/056) Person on Trial in Istanbul…
The trial of Leyla Can, Istanbul Provincial Spokesperson for the Socialist Women’s Assemblies (SKM), which was brought before the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 25, commenced on 8 September 2026.
The indictment seeks the conviction of Leyla Can on the charge of “membership of an organisation”. The court ruled that Leyla Can should continue to be kept in custody and adjourned the hearing until 6 October 2026.
Leyla Can was arrested on 3 February 2026.
(09/057) Social Media Accounts Subject to Investigation and Inquiry…
According to news reports published on 9 September 2026, a total of 600,180 social media accounts were investigated in 2025 – 257,481 by the General Directorate of Security and 348,699 by the General Command of the Gendarmerie – and investigations were launched against 210,234 of these; it was reported that, of the 8,471 people detained in this context, 496 were remanded in custody, whilst judicial control measures were imposed on 1,360 individuals.
[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.