HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

• Rally and concert for the release of Kenan Ayaz 

  In front of the Holstenglacis detention centre in Hamburg, activists demanded the release of Kenan Ayaz who was extradited from Cyprus to Germany.
• Environmental activist sentenced to prison in Iran 

  A former political prisoner and environmental activist from Javanrud, Yasser Nouri was sentenced to prison “propaganda against the state”.
• Seriously ill prisoner Cemal Tanhan was transferred to Eskişehir 

  Seriously ill prisoner Cemal Tanhan was transferred to Eskişehir. Doctors informed the family that they suspected he "could have cancer".
• Many detained in renewed police attack on Saturday Mothers in Istanbul 

  The Saturday Mothers, who have been taking to the streets for their relatives who have disappeared in state custody for decades, were attacked by the police again on the 970th week of their action.
• Iranian teenager Armita Geravand died after a month in a coma  

  Iranian teenager Armita Geravand died today, a month after falling into a coma after an altercation with the morality police on Tehran's metro.
• Prisoner Tanhan suffers pulmonary embolism 

  The ÖHD association said that the condition of political prisoner Cemal Tanhan is worsening. His lawyer once again applied for his release from prison.
• HRW: Turkish strikes disrupt water, electricity in North-East Syria 

  Turkey flouted its responsibility to ensure that its military actions do not aggravate the already dire humanitarian crisis in North-East Syria, says Human Rights Watch (HRW).
• AI: Israeli army’s threats ordering residents of northern Gaza to leave may amount to war crimes 

  Amnesty International reiterates its call on the Israeli authorities to immediately rescind the forced “evacuation” orders and to put an end to threats designed to sow fear and panic among Gaza’s civilian population.
• HPG guerilla Şoreş Andok finally buried after two years wait 

  The remains of Şoreş Andok, one of the HPG commanders who was killed in clashes with the Turkish army in Agirî 2 years ago, were taken by his family and buried.
• Jailed for 29 years, seriously ill political prisoner admitted to intensive care unit 

  Cemal Tanhan, a political prisoner for 29 years, has been hospitalised due to acute deterioration of his health.
• Dr. Gisela Penteker: Isolation is torture 

  IPPNW physician Dr. Gisela Penteker called for the release of Abdullah Öcalan, stating that isolation is torture and affects the entire society.
• 26 detained in police attack on Saturday Mothers in Istanbul 

  The Saturday Mothers, who have been taking to the streets for their relatives who have disappeared in state custody for decades, were attacked by the police again.
• Kurdish political prisoner Izzettin Sevilgen released after 31 years 

  Izzettin Sevilgen has been released after 31 years in Turkish prison and was welcomed enthusiastically in Siirt. The release had been postponed several times because the Kurdish prisoner, who was convicted of PKK membership, showed no remorse.
• Kurdish refugees detained in Slovakia go on hunger strike in protest at inhumane treatment 

  Many refugees from Kurdistan are held in the Medved'ov Detention Centre, where some of them have already spent months. They are not provided with information as to why they were detained or how long it will last.
• Lawyer for Jina Amini’s family sentenced to prison for “propaganda against the state” 

  Charged with “propaganda against the state”, the lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from social media for two years.
• At least 21 workers from Van died at work in first 10 months of 2023 

  Kurdish workers in Turkish cities continue to fall victim to workplace murders. In the last week, 3 workers from Van lost their lives in occupational murders at construction sites.
• Bilmez: Lawlessness in Imralı spreads to the whole of Turkey 

  Lawyer Ibrahim Bilmez said that the lawlessness in Imralı has spread throughout Turkey "because there is no such thing as a ‘state of exception’ in law. The laws introduced targeting Abdullah Öcalan have become Turkey's problem today."
• Many detained in police attack on Saturday Mothers in Istanbul 

  The Saturday Mothers in Istanbul were again attacked by the police and many were taken into custody.
• Kurdish man sentenced to ten years imprisonment for applauding at rally in Hakkari 

  Ilhan Kaynak from Hakkari was sentenced to ten years in prison under the terrorism paragraph. The only basis for this sentence is his applause at a rally in 2015.
• Jailed for 31 years, political prisoner denied release due to "lack of remorse" 

  Political prisoner Izzetin Sevilgen, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for 31 years, remains behind bars as his release has been postponed for the fourth time due to "lack of remorse".
• Babur: There is torture and repression in prisons 

  The co-chair of the prisoner solidarity association TUHAY-DER in Van, Edibe Babur, explains that torture and arbitrariness prevail in the Turkish state's prisons.
• Saturday Mothers attacked and detained once again on the 967th week of action 

  Despite a contrary ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court, Istanbul police have again attacked the Saturday Mothers' gathering at Galatasaray Square.
• Mother who received remains of son in a box to stay in prison 

  Halise Aksoy, the mother who received her son's remains in a box following his death in clashes in Dersim in 2017, remains in prison.
• KHRN releases report of human rights violations in Rojhilat in September 

  The Kurdistan Human Rights Network’s (KHRN) recent investigations reveal numerous cases of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians and activists in September 2023.
• Political prisoner Yılmaz Özalp passes away after belated release 

  43-year-old Yılmaz Özalp has died as a result of a heart attack he suffered in prison in August.