HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

• Ill prisoner sees his release postponed for fourth time 

  The release of Ismail Hakkı Tursun, who has been held in prison for 32 years and is seriously ill, has been postponed for the fourth time on the grounds that he is not showing "good conduct".
• Nobel Prize winners join campaign against executions in Iran 

  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said that a group of fellow winners have expressed their support for the “No to Execution on Tuesdays” campaign in Iran.
• Hunger strikes in Iran spread to more than 20 prisons 

  In Iran, hunger strikes launched by prisoners against the death penalty have spread to many prisons.
• Civaka Azad condemns agreement that allows deportation of Kurdish refugees from Germany to Turkey 

  After months of negotiations with Turkey in Ankara, the Scholz government has started to send back many citizens of the Republic of Turkey whose asylum applications were not accepted.
• Kurdish political prisoner Zeinab Jalalian denied right to see her family 

  Kurdish political prisoner Zeinab Jalalian, who has been in prison in Iran for 17 years, has been denied the right to see her family.
• At least 19 people executed in Iran in two weeks 

  Iran Human Rights, five men including two Afghan nationals were executed in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 16 September alone.
• ‘All Kurds should unite and speak out against isolation and injustice’ 

  Mothers at the Justice Vigil continue their ‘Give voice to freedom’ protests demanding an end to isolation. Afife Kartal called for participation in the rally in Amed on 13 October and appealed to all Kurds: “We must raise our voices against isolation."
• Memorial for young Ceylan Önkol on the 15th anniversary of her death 

  DEM Party Deputy Beritan Güneş attended the memorial for Ceylan Önkol, and said: "The mentality that killed Ceylan is the same mentality because of which Narin could not be found for 19 days."
• Three members of Pakhshan Azizi’s family sentenced to prison 

  Tehran Court of Appeals upheld the prison sentence against three members of Pakhshan Azizi’s family.
• Mother of a slain protester denied lawyer and family visits in Iranian prison 

  Mina Soltani, mother of a protester killed during the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ uprising two years ago, is held in solitary confinement in prison. No official explanation has been provided to her family about the reasons for her arrest or her current condition.
• Narges Mohammadi urges the UN to ‘replace words with concrete, effective measures’ 

  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi wrote an open letter to UN officials calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to the repression of women and civil society in Iran.
• ÖHD: Administrative and Observation Board in prisons operates like martial law 

  ÖHD Prisons Commission member Yusuf Çakas said that the Administrative and Observation Board (IGK) operates like martial law, Independence and State Security Courts (DGM).
• Emine Şenyaşar temporarily suspends Vigil for Justice due to health problems 

  Emine Şenyaşar, who has been fighting for justice for the members of her family murdered in 2018, has suspended her Vigil for Justice in Parliament due to increasing health problems.
• ill prisoner Eker released after 31 years in jail 

  Upon his release from Şakran Prison after 31 years, ill prisoner Cengiz Eker said: "I stand by the promise we made and the struggle I have carried out since my arrest."
• Emine Şenyaşar: "If I am going to die, I will die here" 

  Emine Şenyaşar continued the Vigil for Justice in Ankara and said: "I will not leave the parliament until justice is served, and my son is released. If I am going to die, I will die here."
• Prisoner Tan: If anything happens to me, the prison administration is to be held responsible 

  In a phone call with his family, prisoner Sadık Tan said that he fears for his life and added: "If anything happens to me, the prison will be responsible."
• Prisoner in Kırşehir says his life is in danger 

  Necdet Öztürk, a prisoner in Kırşehir High Security Prison, said that he no longer has security of life and said that if something happens to him, the prison administration will be responsible.
• Emine Şenyaşar released from hospital 

  Emine Şenyaşar, who has been demanding justice for years for the murder of her sons by bodyguards of an AKP politician and an AKP lynch mob, collapsed and had to be hospitalized.
• Kurdish refugee detained in France to be deported to Turkey 

  The Democratic Kurdish Council of France strongly condemned the planned deportation of Kurdish refugee Idris Kaplan in violation of his rights.
• Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit: The whole world is talking about the isolation on Imrali 

  DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit has called on the Council of Europe to ensure that the ECHR ruling on Öcalan is implemented. "The whole world is talking about the isolation on Imrali," said the politician.
• Prisoners in Bodrum protest increase in violations of rights 

  40 prisoners in Bodrum S Type Closed Prison said that they are facing various rights violations and called for public awareness.
• Sick prisoner kept in solitary confinement in Antalya tortured 

  Zerdeşt Oduncu, a sick prisoner held in Antalya, was not taken to hospital despite his wounds and was tortured.
• Legal and human rights organisations call on the Council of Europe to act for Abdullah Öcalan 

  Rights and legal organisations call on the Council of Europe, which has put the ECtHR judgement on ‘violation of the right to hope’ against Abdullah Öcalan on its agenda, to urge Turkey to make the necessary legislative changes and amend its legislation.
• Kurdish politician Okyay dies in prison just hours before his release 

  Kurdish politician Abdülmelik Okyay lost his life at the age of 71 due to a heart attack on the day he was to be released.
• ‘No chance of justice: politically persecuted persons in the crosshairs of Turkish justice’ 

  A new report by PRO ASYL, Germany's largest pro-immigration advocacy organization, points out that victims of persecution in the Turkish criminal justice system need protection.