Joint Declaration by Alevi organizations in Turkey, Europe, North America and Australia to the world and Turkish public The Turkish media are reporting the presence of proposals relating to the Alevi community in the so-called “democratization package” that is currently being prepared by the AKP government. As much as we can gather from the media, these proposals – presented as [...] → Read the full article…
Dozens Injured as Police Fired Teargas Canisters Directly at Protesters (Istanbul) – Police fired teargas canisters directly at protesters during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, turning them into dangerous projectiles that caused serious injuries, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has documented 10 cases in which people were seriously injured, including loss of an eye, when police [...] → Read the full article…
Osman Erden, Assistant Professor at Art History Department of Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts and President of AICA (International Association of Art Critics) Turkey, has been detained on 13 July 2013 at Istiklal Sreet, Istanbul. From the video footage and photographs circulated in media he is thought to be beaten at the moment of arrest. Osman Erden has been [...] → Read the full article…
Document released by the Documentation Centre of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) [1] [2] [3] Demonstrations that began on 28 May 2013 to protect Gezi Park but then turned into protests demanding basic rights and freedoms in reaction to the violence committed by the police, spread across Turkey ( excluding Bingöl and Bayburt as per Ministry of Interior’s [...] → Read the full article…
Letter to Turkish Prime Minister Follows In-Country Investigation, Seeks to Stop Excessive Violence and Unlawful Detentions New York Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), the World Medical Association (WMA), the German Medical Association (GMA) and the Standing Committee of European Doctors/Comité Permanent des Médecins Européens (CPME) sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today asking his government to [...] → Read the full article…
I joined my colleagues, the faculty of the New School for Social Research, in expressing our deep concern over the escalation of repression in Turkey. Here is our letter of protest. To His Excellency Abdullah Gül President of the Republic of Turkey T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Genel Sekreterliği 06689 Çankaya Ankara, Turkey July 1, 2013 Your Excellency, We write to you to [...] → Read the full article…
The Turkish authorities must immediately release peaceful demonstrators who were detained in Taksim yesterday. They must also investigate allegations of the excessive use of force after riot police used tear gas and water canons to clear the square and neighbouring Gezi park, Amnesty International said. “The authorities in Turkey have the duty to ensure people can peacefully gather and express [...] → Read the full article…
We would like to extend our sincere solidarity with our fellow lawyers and legal workers fighting for the rights of all those who have been detained, arrested, and violently attacked for peaceful protest in the last few weeks. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is closely following the situation in Turkey. We are aware of the extent of death, injury, and [...] → Read the full article…
Turkish citizens continue to be beaten, unjustly detained, and abused by police forces amid massive protests. This violence has got to stop, but only massive international outrage from supporters like you can move the needle now. Please send an urgent message to authorities demanding an end to the use of excessive force against peaceful protestors. Authorities must restore the right [...] → Read the full article…
In a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, the New York City Bar Association expresses “serious concerns regarding the maintenance of the rule of law and the targeting and detention of lawyers in Turkey following recent events there.” The letter, prepared by the City Bar’s Committee on International Human Rights and Committee on European Affairs and signed [...] → Read the full article…