As 2024 comes to a close, Human Rights Watch has released its annual World Report, and the findings for Turkey paint a stark picture of escalating repression and authoritarianism. Turkey in 2023 was a nation at a crossroads. With the reverberations of February’s devastating earthquakes still reverberating across the country, claiming more than 50,000 lives and displacing hundreds of thousands, the political landscape was marked by a consolidation of power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023, won by Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP)-led coalition, underscored the growing authoritarianism gripping Turkey. Critics, opposition figures, and independent observers have pointed to a systemic erosion of democratic norms, freedom of expression, and judicial independence, painting a sobering portrait of a country grappling with overlapping crises of governance, human rights, and economic hardship.
A rigged democracy?
The elections highlighted the growing rift between the government and its opposition. Erdoğan secured 52.2 percent of the vote in the presidential runoff, defeating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe’s Election Observation Mission found the electoral playing field to be heavily skewed. Public broadcasters such as TRT overtly favored the ruling coalition, while restrictive laws and practices limited opposition parties, civil society, and independent media.
Meanwhile, freedom of assembly and association continued to be restricted. Kurdish politicians, human rights defenders, and government critics faced legal and physical threats.The ruling coalition’s reliance on divisive rhetoric – including accusations of opposition support for terrorism – further polarized the electorate.
A nation under censorship
Media freedom in Turkey has long been under siege, but 2023 marked a new low.The government’s control over the mainstream media was on full display during the election year. Channels critical of the government, such as Halk TV and Tele 1, faced disproportionate punishment from the state broadcasting regulator, RTÜK. Tele 1’s editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was arrested for comments deemed sympathetic to Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).His trial epitomized the weaponization of anti-terror laws against journalists, critics and opposition figures.
Independent journalism has increasingly moved online, but even there censorship has intensified.Legislative changes passed in late 2022 allowed authorities to order the removal of content deemed critical of government figures.
At least 43 journalists were imprisoned for their work by year’s end, many on spurious terrorism charges. Kurdish journalists were disproportionately targeted, and some endured lengthy pre-trial detentions in politically motivated cases.
Erosion of judicial independence
The judiciary, often seen as a bulwark against executive overreach, has instead become an instrument of political repression under Erdoğan’s rule.Human rights defender Osman Kavala remains emblematic of this decline. Kavala, who has been arbitrarily detained since 2017, was sentenced to life in prison on charges related to the 2013 Gezi Park protests. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has twice ordered his release, but Turkey’s courts remain steadfast in their defiance.Similarly, Can Atalay, a human rights lawyer and elected parliamentarian, remains unlawfully imprisoned despite a Constitutional Court ruling for his release.
Mass trials following the 2016 coup attempt have continued unabated.More than 15,000 people accused of links to the Fethullah Gulen movement remain in detention.Allegations of abductions and extrajudicial renditions of Gülen-linked individuals from abroad have also drawn international criticism.
The human cost of the crackdown
Turkey’s disregard for the rights of vulnerable populations was evident in 2023.Refugees, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals faced escalating hostility and violence. Turkey remains the world’s largest host of refugees, with more than 3.2 million Syrians under temporary protection. However, xenophobic rhetoric dominated the election campaign, with both government and opposition parties advocating for mass deportations. Reports of unlawful deportations to war-torn Syria – often under duress or false pretenses – continue despite rulings by the ECHR and Turkey’s own Constitutional Court.
Women’s rights have also regressed. Two years after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, high rates of femicide underscore the challenges women face in accessing effective protection from domestic violence.The We Will Stop Femicide Platform, a prominent advocacy group, faced a baseless closure case that was ultimately dismissed, highlighting the growing hostility towards women’s rights organizations.
For LGBTQ+ people, 2023 was particularly bleak.Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric became a cornerstone of Erdoğan’s campaign, leading to an increase in hate crimes and a crackdown on Pride events.Local authorities canceled concerts by artists supporting LGBTQ+ rights, while the state media watchdog fined platforms that broadcast LGBTQ+ content.
Torture and ill-treatment
Since the 2016 coup attempt, reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention have rarely been rigorously investigated.The aftermath of the February earthquakes brought further allegations, with security forces accused of beating individuals under the pretext of fighting looting. In one case, Ahmet Güreşçi died in custody after allegedly being tortured. Investigations into such incidents remain the exception rather than the rule.
Migrants and asylum-seekers are particularly vulnerable. In addition to overcrowding and poor conditions in detention centers, reports of violence against those attempting to cross the Syrian border into Turkey highlight systemic failures to uphold basic rights.
Climate crisis and environmental activism
Turkey’s environmental record remains dismal. Despite ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2021, the government has shown little commitment to reducing emissions and continues to expand coal power and extraction. Protests against coal mining, such as the destruction of the Akbelen Forest, have been met with police violence and arbitrary arrests.
A bleak international reputation
Turkey’s human rights record has come under increasing international scrutiny.While the European Union continues to provide financial assistance related to refugee management, Turkey’s accession process remains stalled due to democratic backsliding. In its 2023 Enlargement Report, the European Commission condemned the erosion of rights and democratic institutions under Erdoğan’s leadership.
In rulings such as Yalçınkaya v. Turkey, the ECHR has highlighted systemic abuses in Turkey’s legal framework, including arbitrary prosecutions based on flimsy evidence.Such judgments underscore the urgent need for reforms, which seem increasingly unlikely under the current government.
Conclusion: Reflections from HRW’s 2024 Report
As Turkey moves forward, the challenges it faces are immense.The government’s consolidation of power has created a climate of fear and repression that undermines the very principles of democracy and human rights. But the resilience of Turkey’s civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders offers a glimmer of hope. Human Rights Watch’s 2024 report underscores the urgency of international pressure and solidarity to ensure that Turkey upholds its obligations under international human rights law.
For Turkey Chapter of the report click here, for full report click here
Categories: Turkey Human Rights Blog