HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

• Kurdish artist Mazlum Jinda arrested for singing in Kurdish 

  Kurdish artist Mazlum Jinda was sentenced to 22 months and 15 days in prison for singing in Kurdish.
• Human Rights Watch: Drone attack on ambulance in North-East Syria constitutes a war crime 

  HRW calls on Ankara to investigate the drone strike on a Kurdish Red Crescent ambulance in northern Syria on January 18 and to hold the perpetrators accountable.
• Permanent People's Tribunal publishes names of judges for session on Rojava 

  The judges that will sit at the Permanent People's Tribunal session on Rojava have been announced.
• Message from arrested lawyer Fırat Epözdemir 

  Arrested lawyer Fırat Epözdemir said that "anyone with a legal identity will clearly see that my detention is not legal but political, and that it is an operation against the Istanbul Bar Association."
• Prisoners in Kırşehir S Type Prison go on hunger strike against violation of rights 

  Prisoners in Kırşehir S Type Prison went on hunger strike against the violation of their rights.
• Iranian court issues arrest warrant against Jina Amini's father 

  Emced Amini, the father of Jina Amini, said that an Iranian court has issued a detention order against him for protesting the death sentence against Pakshan Azizi.
• Political prisoner Adnan Çelebi's release delayed  

  The release of Adnan Çelebi, who has been imprisoned for approximately 31 years, has been postponed once again for three months due to arbitrary reasons.
• Politician Aysel Tuğluk sentenced to 3 years in prison  

  Politician Aysel Tuğluk has been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of "spreading terrorist propaganda".
• General strike in East Kurdistan today against death penalty  

  The six largest parties in Eastern Kurdistan have called for a general strike against the death penalty.
• If existing laws are applied, Abdullah Öcalan will be free, say lawyers Hülakü and Yılmaz 

  Ömer Faruk Hülakü and Ercan Yılmaz stressed that Abdullah Öcalan should be granted physical freedom, benefit from the right to hope, and be released in accordance with the normal functioning of the legal system.
• 12 bar associations: Attack on Tishrin is a clear violation of international law 

  12 bar associations denounced the Turkish attacks against the Tishrin Dam, which they called “a violation of the rules of international and humanitarian law.”
• Kurdistan Human Rights Network releases Annual Report for 2024 

  The Kurdistan Human Rights Network report examines instances of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians in Iran during 2024.
• Crimes committed by the Turkish state to be tried by Permanent People's Tribunal in Brussels 

  The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey will be held on 5-6 February in Brussels.
• Prisoner Kaya: We are being left to die 

  Prisoner Kenan Kaya suffered two heart attacks. Despite that, he is not being given his medication. “My condition is serious, we are being left to die,” he said.
• UN experts: Death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi is a violation of international human rights law 

  UN experts urge Iranian authorities to immediately revoke the death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi, investigate allegations of torture and denial of fair trial rights, and put an end to the harassment and targeting of women activists in Iran.
• Kurdish activists demand annulment of Pakhshan Azizi’s death penalty 

  A group of civil, human rights, political and media activists from Kurdistan call for the annulment of Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence and a thorough re-investigation of the judicial proceedings and legal case.
• 'Dismissal of mayors without a finalised court decision violates the rule of law and democracy' 

  Denouncing the appointment of trustees to municipalities as a violation of the rule of law and democracy, 30 bar associations called for the reinstatement of the co-mayors and council members removed from office.
• Women's organisations and Shirin Ebadi call for action for Pakshan Azizi sentenced to death in Iran 

  Pakshan Azizi is a women's rights defender, journalist and civil society activist. The death sentence handed to her was upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court last week.
• Dozens of organisations and activists call for the annulment of death sentence against Pakshan Azizi 

  Born in Mahabad and currently held in Evin Prison in Tehran, Pakshan Azizi is a women's rights defender, journalist and civil society activist. The death sentence handed to her was upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.
• 65 Kurdish citizens taken into custody in a month in Iran without judicial warrants 

  At least 65 Kurdish citizens, including activists, environmentalists, and former political prisoners, have been arrested in the western provinces of Iran over the past month.
• ÖHD: Violations of rights in prisons in Aegean region increased in 2024 

  The Prison Commission of the Izmir Branch of ÖHD drew attention to the fact that isolation, torture and ill-treatment in prisons in the Aegean region increased in 2024.
• Petition for Kurdish female prisoner Pakshan Azizi sentenced to death in Iran 

  A petition has been launched for Kurdish female prisoner Pakshan Azizi, after her death sentence was upheld.
• Trade unionist Zorlu: The minimum wage enforces a system of slavery 

  KESK Central Council member Saliha Zorlu said that "the minimum wage enforces a system of slavery".
• Delegation waiting to retrieve the bodies of journalists Daştan and Bilgin still held at the border 

  The delegation waiting at the border to collect the bodies of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin is still being held there.
• Human rights violations in Turkish prisons in 2024 

  MED TUHAD-FED and ÖHD published a report detailing the human rights violations recorded in 91 Turkish prisons in 2024.