The fifth webinar in collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal discusses the Tribunal’s latest report on Access to Justice in Turkey Today.

The fourth webinar in collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal discusses the degree of freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Turkey. The discussion is based on the Tribunal’s latest report “Press Freedom in Turkey Today”.

Organised in collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal, this webinar considered the state of impunity in Turkey. The speakers discussed Turkey’s disturbing human rights record, specifically the arbitrary imprisonment of political figures, journalists and activists.

Tuncer Çetinkaya, a former reporter for the shuttered outlets Zaman newspaper and Cihan News Agency, was one of the journalists arrested following the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. While in prison, he was a victim of torture and was denied medical care for his kidney disease.

95% of Turkish media are directly or indirectly controlled by the government. As one of the very few independent news organisations, Ahval’s motto is “Nothing but the truth.”

Faysal Sariyildiz is a former MP for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). During his political career, he has been a victim of the systematic repression of the opposition in Turkey. Today, he lives in exile and continues to condemn human rights violations in his country.

At the time she was arrested, Irfan’s sister Halime Gülsu was suffering from SLE, a life-threatening disease which requires daily medication. During her time in prison, she was denied access to her medication and was refused any medical attention. Her health rapidly deteriorated and she passed away two months later. Her brother Irfan Gülsu tells her story and demands justice for his family.

The second webinar organised in collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal brings together experts to discuss the Tribunal’s latest report on the State of Abduction in Turkey Today. 

As a human rights defender and lawyer, Eren Keskin is currently fighting for the rights of Kurdish people, the LGBT community and women in Turkey. Over the past thirty years, she was arrested, jailed and suffered two gun attacks.

Since the coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish government has engaged in a systematic crackdown on political opponents. Among them are the representatives of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Former HDP MP Demir Çelik explains what Erdogan’s government is trying to achieve by removing HDP mayors from their positions and arresting this party’s representatives.

This is the first of a series of webinars discussing Turkey’s human rights challenges, organised in a collaboration with the Turkey Tribunal. The Tribunal’s latest report on the State of Torture in Turkey Today explores the way systematic torture is being used as a form of oppression in Turkey.

Following the coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish government purged 4,500 judges in a large-scale crackdown against its opponents. Yavuz Aydin was among the dismissed judges. 

1,600 lawyers have been detained and prosecuted in Turkey since 2016. Stuart Russell, former administrative judge and lawyer, now co-chair of the IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers, explains how Mr. Erdogan’s government is breaching the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

Teachers Mesut and Meral Kaçmaz, along with their two teenage daughters, were sleeping in their home in Lahore, Pakistan, when a group of 15-20 armed intelligence agents broke in and forcibly took them to an unknown location. Now, in a safe place and awaiting their sentence, they recall the story of their kidnapping.

In 2017, school principal Isa Antepli was deprived of his passport by the Cambodian authorities when he applied to renew his working visa. What seemed to be just procedural waiting time, turned out to be an attempt by the Turkish government to deport him back to Turkey.

Meltem Oktay, a former reporter for the Pro-Kurdish Dicle News Agency (DIHA) and a prominent human rights activist, was arrested and imprisoned for speaking up against the Turkish state on her social media accounts. Now, she lives in exile but continues to stand up against oppression and human rights violations.

Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy, medical doctor and activist, has dedicated his whole career to fighting for human rights in Turkey. After the coup attempt in 2016, he was one of thousands to be purged from public service, and was later sentenced to 2,5 years of imprisonment for a social media post.