Nils Muižnieks discusses the dire human rights situation in Belarus and Turkey, emphasizing repression, institutional failure, and the need for international support. He highlights parallels, challenges, and the importance of resilience against authoritarianism.
In an exclusive interview, the Arrested Lawyers Initiative speaks with Kenneth Roth, the former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and author of Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments.
The Ankara Regional Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation upheld the convictions of 12 lawyers, totaling over 80 years in prison, defying the European Court of Human Rights’ Yalcinkaya ruling. Turkey’s judiciary shows significant disregard for international law and judicial independence, raising concerns over human rights enforcement in the country.
Thirteen human rights organizations urge Turkey to address prison overcrowding and ensure new release laws do not discriminate against political prisoners, highlighting systemic issues in prison conditions and healthcare.
Ruhi Hallaçoğlu, a Turkish lawyer, became a victim of state oppression following the 2016 coup attempt. He was detained for years under inhumane conditions, with even his legal consultations monitored, yet he continued to fight from his prison cell. He won three cases before the European Court of Human Rights, vindicating his struggle, which should symbolize defiance against the unchecked power of the state.
Using Turkish Intel’s own report, Dr Yasir Gokce demonstrates several instances of data manipulation, raising legitimate concerns about the quality of Bylock evidence. Such concerns, coupled with the ECHR’s findings in the Yalcinkaya case, require Turkish courts to re-evaluate the admissibility of Bylock as evidence.
Turkish lawyer, Elif Hendekci, recounts her and her baby’s harrowing experience in prison. Imprisoned for providing legal aid to dissidents, Hendekci faces abuse and bureaucratic indifference in jail, struggling to protect her daughter amidst a system lacking empathy and basic human rights. Her story exposes political repression and inhumanity within Turkey’s incarceration system post-2016.
Prominent Turkish judge (ret): judicial corruption transformed the judiciary into a lucrative industry, with judges acting as entrepreneurs.
Turkey’s Council of Judges and Prosecutors coerced the dismissed judges and prosecutors signing undated resignation letters by threatening them with social death.
Fethi Un, Murat Korkmaz and Metin Yucel were nothing but lawyers. They were unlawfully identified with their clients and targeted. They were arrested and whilst in detention treated -in late Fethi Un’s own words- “worse than an animal” and their lives were stolen. Let us hope that no other prisoner shares the same fate.
A criminal complaint from Turkey’s opposition party alleges Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek engaged in extensive corruption, including illicit enrichment and conflicts of interest, raising significant concerns about judicial integrity and accountability in Turkey’s legal system.
Turkish lawyer Naim Eminoğlu was detained following a police raid on his office, accused of Gulen Movement membership without concrete evidence. His arrest, criticized by international legal groups, signals ongoing persecution of lawyers in Turkey, raising concerns over legal rights.
Turkey’s judicial crisis deepens as the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court defies a Constitutional Court ruling that acknowledged violations of urban planner Tayfun Kahraman’s fair trial rights. This reflects a broader trend of judicial insubordination and systemic failure to uphold constitutional authority and human rights.
An indictment against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and others raises concerns about Turkey’s legal system, relying on anonymous testimonies to frame legal coordination as criminal. Human rights groups condemn this as judicial harassment of lawyers, reflecting a broader crackdown on legal representation in political cases.
A new scholarly review by Thomas Hochmann centres on the Turkish judge at the European Court of Human Rights, warning that her interpretation of subsidiarity enables “cosmetic compliance,” allowing authoritarian regimes like Turkey’s to cite Strasbourg case law while continuing repression unchecked.