• Turkey: Credibility Depends on Rights at Home
    Jan 22, 2012
    Turkey's international credibility as a rising regional power will be compromised as long as it imprisons journalists, Kurdish political activists, and other government critics.
  • Turkey: Court Protects Journalist’s Killers
    Jan 18, 2012

    A Turkish court’s verdict on January 17, 2012, that there was no state involvement or organized plot behind the 2007 shooting of the Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is a travesty of justice.

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  • Human Rights in Turkey

    As the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government focused on promoting Turkey’s regional interests in response to the pro-democracy Arab Spring movements, human rights suffered setbacks at home. The government has not prioritized human rights reforms since 2005, and freedom of expression and association have both been damaged by the ongoing prosecution and incarceration of journalists, writers, and hundreds of Kurdish political activists, particularly through the misuse of overly broad terrorism laws. Violence against women in Turkey remains endemic. Police continue to use excessive force, particularly against demonstrators, and are rarely held accountable for such violence. 

Reports

Turkey

  • Turkey: Credibility Depends on Rights at Home
    Jan 22, 2012
    Turkey's international credibility as a rising regional power will be compromised as long as it imprisons journalists, Kurdish political activists, and other government critics.
  • Turkey: Court Protects Journalist’s Killers
    Jan 18, 2012

    A Turkish court’s verdict on January 17, 2012, that there was no state involvement or organized plot behind the 2007 shooting of the Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is a travesty of justice.

  • Iran/Turkey: Recent Attacks on Civilians in Iraqi Kurdistan
    Dec 20, 2011

    Iran and Turkey’s cross-border attacks in Iraqi Kurdistankilled more than a dozen civilians and displaced thousands between mid-July and November 2011, including in areas that did not appear to have military targets.

  • Turkey's human rights challenges
    Dec 19, 2011
    Turkey's standing in the region is growing, but its international credibility should be in doubt as long as it fails to address its human rights record, especially in regard to the large Kurdish minority.
  • Turkey: Arrests Expose Flawed Justice System
    Nov 1, 2011
    An Istanbul court’s decision on November 1, 2011, to imprison a publisher and a political science professor pending their trial on terrorism charges exposes the huge deficiencies of Turkey’s criminal justice system.
  • Iraqi Kurdistan: Cross-Border Attacks Should Spare Iraqi Civilians
    Sep 1, 2011
    Iran and Turkey’s cross-border attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan have killed at least 10 civilians and displaced hundreds since mid-July 2011. Some of the attacks may have been carried out without sufficient attempts to ensure minimal impact on civilians.
  • Turkey: Make Rights Reform a Priority
    Jun 20, 2011
    The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government should put human rights reforms, starting with a new constitution, at the top of its agenda for its third term.
  • Letter to Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Erdoğan, Regarding Human Rights Priorities for the New Government
    Jun 19, 2011
    In its second term, your government pursued an ambitious foreign policy, showing resolve in raising Turkey’s international role and regional prominence. At home, the government took steps to bring to an end the system of military tutelage which has held sway in Turkey throughout the Republic and to secure better civilian oversight of the military, a precondition for any democratizing country.
  • In Turkey, He Loves You, He Beats You
    Jun 15, 2011
    Unlike some of the other women I spoke with, Hamiyet was not injected with poison, thrown from the roof or stabbed by her husband. But her story seemed just as desperate when she described the daily routine of abuse - thrashings that began on her wedding day, 24 years ago.
  • Turkey: Backward Step for Women’s Rights
    Jun 9, 2011
    The Turkish government’s changes to the current Ministry for Women and Family is a step backward in its struggle to combat gender inequality and violence against women, Human Rights Watch said today. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the “Ministry for Women and Family” will be replaced by a “Ministry of Family and Social Policies,” ending a much-needed explicit focus on women’s rights.
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