Following a new bill proposing to restrict lawyers’ ability to criticise the Turkish state, lawyers from across Turkey have joined a march protesting the bill. Chairpersons of bar associations from all over the country started the march to Ankara last Friday from several provinces. They are protesting against a draft law by the Erdoğan regime … Read more
Despite growing protests, the Turkish state continue to arrest political opponents and suppress criticism of military operations against Kurdish communities. As with previous attacks on democracy, many of these repressive measures have targeted the pro-Kurdish rights HDP party. In the province of Batman, 7 people were arrested during raids by Turkish gendarmes. Those arrested in … Read more
A New Wave of Repression The Turkish state’s campaign of oppression against the HDP opposition part and of other political activists has seen increasing escalation with more arrests of democratically elected politicians especially in majority-Kurdish regions of Turkey. This new wave of repression began on Tuesday the 9th in Amed with raids against prisoner solidarity … Read more
The opposition MP Leyla Güven, a member of parliament for the HDP in the region of Hakkari has been unexpectedly released by Turkish authorities after her arrest on Friday 5th drew strong criticism in Turkey and around the globe. Leyla Güven has previously drawn a great deal of attention to the cause of political prisoners … Read more
On Friday the 22nd Turkish police raided the homes of several activists involved in Women’s associations and activist groups in the majority Kurdish city of Amed. 18 activists were detained by the state, and 12 of theses detainees have now been jailed relating to terrorism charges. Four activists have now been released on bail. The … Read more
The undemocratic seizure of five more HDP municipalities by the Turkish state has provoked protests across Europe and Turkey. With activists demonstrating against the dictatorial actions in several cities and civil society groups condemning the seizures. Europe: In France, socially distanced protests took place in various cities. Kurdish Youth Movement activists in Drancy, Toulouse and … Read more
Five more municipalities in Turkey, held by opposition parties, have been undemocratically seized by the AKP-MHP government. The municaplities’ democratically elected representatives have been replaced by unelected ‘trustees’ chosen by the regime. All five municipalities had originally been won by the HDP party in 2019 local elections. The seized municiaplites include; the cities of Siirt … Read more
In a joint declaration 122 democratic institutions, associations, platforms and political parties in Turkey said they won’t tolerate the restriction of the powers of local opposition governments and threats to appoint trustees. Through this “Hands Off Kars” Declaration, the signatories have expressed their solidarity and support for the Kars municipality after recent rhetoric by the AKP government … Read more
Restricted freedom of expression, a gagged press or disempowered constitutional courts – as a rule, these are characteristics of autocracies. But the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s latest Transformation Index shows that the rule of law and political freedoms are also being eroded in an increasing number of democracies. The main causes are abuse of power and cronyism, … Read more