Türkçe | Français | English
16.01.2021
Over a one-year period in Turkey, 3 362 people were subjected to violations of their rights. During protests, 2 123 people were taken into police custody, 44 of which were imprisoned and 294 people were sentenced in trials following assemblies and demonstrations.
From her prison, Figen Yüksekdağ, former copresident of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) called for solidarity with the members and leaders of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), who have been in police custody for several days: “The police raids and custodies aimed at ESP will not stop hope’s onward movement. Let’s strengthen our solidarity so that all the arrested ESP members find freedom again along with copresident Özlem Gümüstaş!”
17.01.2021
Third day in police custody for the 47 members and leaders of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), members of the Federation of Socialist Associations (SGDF), of the Socialist women’s councils (SKM), of the Limter-Is union of the shipping sector, of the Foundation for research in science, education, art and culture, BEKSAV, the journalists from the ETHA news agency, the staff of the magazine Kaldıraç. Accused of belonging to a terrorist organization, an accusation that has become a letmotiv, 20 of them whose interrogation by the prosecutor is completed, were sent to prison.
18.01.2021
While the Hrant Dink trial in which State employees are being judged nears its end, Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, one of the lawyers for the family of the Armenian journalist assassinated on January 19 2007 in Istanbul, signaled that their requests for the widening of the inquest and of the trial have not received a response: “This means there is no longer the possibility of reaching an honest judgment.”
Tayip Temel, vice copresident of the HDP responsible for the Press commission, denounced the declaration made by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the National Action Party (MHP): “Bahçeli clearly threatened journalists and politicians while also targeting them.”
Even Party leaders are now making public denunciations calling on finishing off the “purge” of the media.
Bahçeli had published this tweet: “Chroniclers for the Karar newspaper, for example, Elif Çakır, Yıldıray Oğur or Taha Akyol, and many other pseudo authors should not denigrate the MHP, should not slander it. For they are already in the hole they have dug for themselves and are recognized by their faces that never blush.”
19.01.2021
It was a day of tribute to Hrant Dink, the editor in chief of the newspaper Agos, on the 14th anniversary of his assassination on January 19 2007. His companion Rakel Dink spoke at this year’s commemoration which took place in more restricted conditions due to the pandemic: “This is the place where suffering teaches us to be brothers and sisters.”
Read on Kedistan
Hrant Dink • His final article, “As Fearful as a Dove”
An explosion in the zone where is located the Akkuyu power plant in Mersin, caused some wounded and destruction to residences and greenhouses. The prefecture declared this was a planned explosion and that a commission is charged with examining the damage in order to compensate the inhabitants. As a reminder, an 86% majority of Mersin’s population is opposed to the construction of a nuclear plant in Akkuyu.
20.01.2021
55th day of the revolving hunger strikes begun in the prisons on November 27 2020. Ömer Öcalan, HDP deputy for Urfa declared “international institutions for human rights, the European Committe for the prevention of torture and of inhuman or degrading sentences or treatments (CPT) maintain their total silence and blindness relative to the total isolation practiced on the leader of the Kurds, Abdullah Öcalan.”
Following the stated intention to eliminate the HDP: at least 15 local headquarters of the People’s Democratic Party in Istanbul were raided by the police on Wednesday. The police seized banners and information on the hunger strike of political prisoners in Turkey. In some places, the people responsible for the headquarters were taken into custody.
Read on Kedistan
The Turkish regime’s relentless will to destroy the HDP
Thus, political operations targeting the HDP continue. This time, it is the turn of the former deputy of Siirt, Hatice Kocaman. Free on bail until today, she is now incarcerated during her trial for “belonging to an armed terrorist organization” with a sentence of 15 years requested by the prosecution…
Read on Kedistan
Will the HDP End Up on the Long List of Prohibited Parties?
21.01.2021
The General Assembly of the European Parliament (EP) held a session devoted to “human rights in Turkey, the situation of Demirtas and of other political prisoners.” The European Parliament adopted a draft resolution demanding the immediate liberationof the former co-presidents of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ. We already know the treatment given to prior resolutions of this nature.
Nothwithstanding decisions reached by the Constitutional Court… This is the story of Enis Berberoğlu, ex-deputy of the CHP, the People’s Republican Party. Accused of supplying images of the MIT trucks to journalist Can Dündar, he was put on trial and sentenced to perpetuity (later reduced to 25 years) and this, despite his immunity. His status as a parliamentary member was only revoked when his condemnation was read in the National Assembly, in his absence, of course. Solicited later, the Constitutional Court pronounced its verdict: rights were violated. But the Istanbul Tribunal took no account of this decision. Called upon for a second time, the Constitutional Court has just expressed its decision, identical to the first… To be continued.
22.01.2021
The Istanbul office of the Human Rights Association (İHD) has published the report on violations of rights in the prisons of the Marmara region for the year 2020: in one year, the association received 450 requests covering 4 805 violations from 59 prisons in the region, particularly from the type T and type F prisons of Tekirdağ, the prisons of Silivri and from Kocaeli. 4% (19) of the plaintiffs were women and 96% (431) of the reports pertained to men.