The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has issued a grave report highlighting Turkey’s worsening human rights situation ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review. It criticizes judicial harassment and inadequate responses to violence against women, particularly emphasizing the urgent need for reforms and protections for marginalized groups. The report also draws attention to alarming prison overcrowding and the treatment of Kurdish individuals.
In a stark warning regarding Turkey’s escalating human rights crisis, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) recently submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The HRF denounced ongoing judicial harassment, curtailments of social media, and the gradual disintegration of democratic institutions, urging immediate reforms. The report highlighted Turkey’s alarming rates of imprisonment, leading the Council of Europe in incarcerated individuals. Turkey’s prison overcrowding has worsened since 2005, with the inmate count as of April 1, 2024 soaring to 322,780, far beyond the 295,702 capacity across 403 facilities. The 2023 Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics report notes a troubling rebound in prison populations despite a new early parole law, which has not alleviated the surge, leading to an additional 71,679 inmates in just seven months. The HRF also raised concerns about the harsh treatment of Kurdish individuals, who disproportionately suffer torture and mistreatment while in custody. Moreover, the report shines a light on Turkey’s failure to effectively address femicide and broader violence against women and marginalized groups, calling for improved independent investigations and stronger legal protections. It firmly urged Turkey to ratify the Istanbul Convention and enhance laws aimed at combating gender-based violence and hate crimes. Violence against women remains a pervasive crisis; women in Turkey face daily threats of murder, assault, or sexual violence. Critics attribute this grim reality to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which they claim facilitates male impunity for such acts. Since Turkey’s exit from the Istanbul Convention in 2021, there has been a marked increase in both femicides and suspicious female deaths, with 4,255 femicide cases reported from 2010 to 2024. The HRF has called on the Turkish government to protect the rights of activists, journalists, and LGBTQ+ groups, allowing for their free operation without fear of repression. Although homosexuality has been legal, LGBTQ individuals frequently face harassment. President Erdoğan and AKP officials often lash out at this community, labeling them threats to family values. In 2024, Turkey was positioned 46th out of 49 countries regarding LGBTQ rights according to the Rainbow Europe Map. Through its submission, HRF aims to draw global attention to the diminishing civil liberties landscape in Turkey. They seek to hold the Turkish government accountable during the UPR, urging immediate redress for these escalating violations. The HRF’s report serves as a wake-up call to the international community regarding Turkey’s deepening human rights violations, pressing for urgent reforms to protect those targeted in the crackdown against dissent, while advocating for the safety and rights of vulnerable communities.
Turkey has been experiencing a human rights crisis characterized by judicial abuses, suppression of free speech, and a significant increase in prison populations. This crisis particularly affects marginalized groups, including women and the LGBTQ+ community, while the government’s policies often perpetuate a culture of impunity. The HRF’s concerns, especially post the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, emphasize the need for international scrutiny and intervention to safeguard fundamental rights in Turkey.
The HRF’s report to the UN underscores Turkey’s troubling human rights landscape, highlighted by judicial harassment and gender-based violence. It calls for urgent reforms, particularly focusing on the rights of women and marginalized communities. With prison overcrowding and systemic oppression rampant, the report serves as both a condemnation and a plea for action to hold Turkey accountable and protect its citizens.
Original Source: stockholmcf.org
