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Turkey: Erdoğan’s Onslaught on Rights and Democracy

Targets Women, Kurds, LGBT People, Democratic Safeguards

(Istanbul) – The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is dismantling human rights protections and democratic norms  in Turkey on a scale unprecedented in the 18 years he has been in office, said Human Rights Watch today. The government…
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, March 18, 2020
News

Turkey: End Probe of Women Over Shouted Slogans

Arrests of Activists and Anti-LGBT Stance Mars Women’s Day Celebrations

(Istanbul) – Turkish authorities should immediately put a stop to the criminal investigation opened into women’s rights activists for shouting slogans at a March 8, 2021 International Women’s Day assembly in central Istanbul and ensure that judicial…
Women and the LGBTQI community celebrate the upcoming International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey on March 6, 2021.
News

Turkey: Man Dies After Military Custody

Investigate Torture Allegations

(Istanbul) – A Kurdish man has died after security forces arrested him and another man and took them away from their village in southeastern Turkey in a helicopter on September 11, 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. The two men were hospitalized…
Servet Turgut died on September 30 of injuries incurred while in military custody. Pictured here in his village with his grandchild. ©2020 Private
News

Turkey: Criminal Case for Opposing Homophobic Speech

End Stigmatization of LGBT People, Investigation of Bar Associations

  (Istanbul) – The Ankara Prosecutor’s office in Turkey has opened a criminal investigation into the Ankara Bar Association after it filed a complaint against the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate…
Hundreds of people gathered for the campus Pride March at Middle East Technical University on May 11, 2018.
News

Russia, Turkey, and Iran Should Act on Syria Detainees

Use September 7 Meeting to Address Arbitrary Detentions, Disappearances, Abductions

(Beirut) – The Astana working group on detentions and abductions in the Syrian conflict should take immediate steps to address the Syrian government’s arbitrary detentions, torture of detainees, and enforced disappearances, 11 human…
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lock hands during a group photo in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, April 4, 2018. © 2018 Tolga Bozoglu/Pool Photo via AP
News

‘No Longer Alone’: LGBT Voices from the Middle East, North Africa

Videos, Report Highlight Issues of Identity, Activism

(Beirut, April 16, 2018) – Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists from Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa are defying state-sponsored repression and social stigma, Human Rights Watch and the…
No Longer Alone
News

Eastern Caribbean: LGBT People Face Bias, Violence

Repeal Colonial-Era Laws

(Bridgetown, Barbados, March 21, 2018) – Discriminatory laws in Eastern Caribbean countries make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people targets for discrimination, violence and abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report…
Jason (pseudonym), a 40-year-old gay man from Barbados.
News

Top 5 Reforms Middle East Governments Can Make in 2018

Respond to Youth Demands, Gain Respect in the World

(Beirut) – Middle East and North Africa (MENA) governments can respond to the popular demands of the region’s youth for reform by implementing five changes in 2018 to arbitrary, outdated legal systems that infringe upon citizens’ rights and liberties,…
Demonstration outside Parliament on December 6, 2016, with women in white dresses and wrapped in bandages, calling for the repeal of article 522 of the penal code.
News

Turkey: Emergency Decrees Facilitate Torture

Reinstate Safeguards to Curb Abuse by Police

  (Istanbul) – Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, Human Rights Watch said in a report…
The Istanbul Security Directorate in Vatan Street where some of the cases of police torture and ill-treatment documented by Human Rights Watch took place. © 2016 Human Rights Watch
News

Turkey: Beaten, Threatened With Death by Police

Disturbing Abuse During Security Operations

(Istanbul)  – Turkish police have engaged in severe ill-treatment and abuse of detainees while responding to perceived security threats in the southeastern part of the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch…
2015_turkey_police_abuse
News

UK: European Court Ruling Sends Mixed Message on Torture

Unfair Trial Risk Halts Deportation, but ‘Diplomatic Assurances’ Support Threatens Rights

(London) – The European Court of Human Rights ruling on January 17, 2012, against the deportation of a Jordanian national from the United Kingdom could have serious consequences for human rights protection in Europe, said three nongovernmental…
News

Jordan/EU: Torture Prevention Insufficient

Subject is Focus of European-Arab Human Rights Dialogue

(Berlin) - Jordan should take steps to prevent torture in light of recent allegations of severe abuse there, Human Rights Watch said today. European and Arab national human rights institutions are discussing the subject on May 11, 2011, in Berlin, with…
News

Turkey: Activist’s Trial a Travesty of Justice

Drop All Charges Against Pınar Selek

(Istanbul) - The third attempt to convict the human rights activist and writer Pınar Selek on allegations that she was involved in a 1998 deadly explosion is a travesty of justice, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 9, 2011, Selek is scheduled to…
News

Turkey: Elevate Rights to Match Foreign Policy Ambitions

Free Speech Restrictions and Lack of Progress for Minorities

(Istanbul) - Turkey restricted free speech and failed to advance minority rights during 2010, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2011.  The 648-page report, the organization's 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe…
News

Turkey: Drop Charges Against Transgender Rights Defenders

Five Activists Assaulted by Police, then Charged With Resisting Arrest

Prosecutors should investigate the attacks against five transgender rights activists by police in Ankara and drop all charges against the activists, five human rights organizations said today. In a letter to Turkey's Interior and Justice ministers, the…
News

Turkey: Stop Violence Against Transgender People

Multiple Murders Highlight Inadequate State Protection

(Ankara) - The recent murders of two transgender women in Turkey highlight  an ongoing pattern of violence and the urgent need for stronger protection measures by the government, four Turkish and international human rights organizations said today in a…
News

Jordan: Outcome Report of the Universal Periodic Review

Universal Periodic Review outcome report of Jordan

Human Rights Watch welcomes the UPR outcome report on Jordan in which the kingdom's delegation voiced satisfaction at the "constant review" of its human rights standards. Jordan should endeavor to implement recommendations to prevent torture, eliminate…
News

Turkey: Transgender Activist Murdered

Government Should Prosecute Violence, Prohibit Discrimination

(New York) - The killing of Ebru Soykan, a prominent transgender human rights activist, on March 10, 2009, shows a continuing climate of violence based on gender identity that authorities should urgently take steps to combat, Human Rights Watch said today…
News

United Kingdom: Stop Deportations to Risk of Torture

Promises From Algeria and Jordan Unreliable in Preventing Abuse

(London, October 22, 2008) - The British government should immediately halt plans to deport foreign terrorism suspects to countries that offer unreliable promises not to torture them, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 36-page…

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