IHD issues “violations of rights after July 15 coup attempt” report

Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD) issued a report about the violations of rights that have been committed after the coup attempt on July 15 and during the state of emergency.

The report states that the total capacity of prisons in Turkey is 183,000 and with 220,000 currently arrested people, the prisons host at least 30,000 more people than it should. 

IHD also noted the violations that are caused by the state of emergency decrees.

Here are the violations of rights that have been committed since the coup attempt:

Violation of right to life

  • During the coup attempt on July 15-16, 67 police officers and soldiers and 174 civilians had been killed by putschists.

  • In these two days, 2,144 people have been wounded.

  • During the efforts for suppressing the coup attempt, 24 soldiers had been killed.

Detentions and arrests

  • According to the statement of ministry of justice made on September 27; 70,050 people have legal actions against them on charge of attempting coup and being a member of Gulenist terror organization.

  • 58,862 of them have been detained; 31,048 people have been arrested.

  • Among the arrested suspects, there are 2,385 judges and prosecutors, 6,488 soldiers and 7,016 police officers

  • 638 suspects under arrest have been released.

  • Because the detentions and arrests continues since October 15, the number of arrested people has risen to 35,000.

  • During this period, the detentions and arrests against social opposition groups, especially the members of HDP and DBP, have never ceased.

Torture and mistreatment

  • The fact that detained people kept waiting in sports halls naked and handcuffed behind the back and hadn't been given water and food and the images of battered people reveal that the claims of torture and mistreatment are right. However, there is no effective investigation on this matter.

  • With the decree issued on July 30, maximum period of detention has risen to 30 days.

  • With another decree, detained people have denied meetings with their legal counsels for the first 5 days of detention.

Unexpected deaths under detention and arrest

  • Detained on July 23, history teacher Gökhan Açıkkolu allegedly had a heart attack. He died in the hospital.

  • Arrested on the charge of “being a member of an illegal organization”, DBP member Segvan Yaman had allegedly committed suicide in prison. His brother Ekrem Yamam claimed that the scars in his brother body suggest that he was killed.

  • Political prisoner Hasan Hayri Alp allegedly had a heart attack in prison on July 19.

  • Standing trial on the charge of “attempting to abolish the constitutional order” Lt. Col. İsmail Çakmak had allegedly committed suicide on July 23.

  • Warden Ömer Çubuklu had allegedly committed suicide on September 1.

  • Arrested as part of the coup attempt investigation, Prosecutor Seyfettin Yiğit had allegedly committed suicide in prison on September 15.

The condition in the prisons

  • Since there is no room left in prisons, suspected putschists have been settled in sporting halls that are turned into wards.

  • On March 31, 2016, the reported number of arrested and detained people in prisons were 187,647. With the last arrests and detentions, the number has risen to 220,000.

  • In many prisons, the prisoners sleep on the floor, and extra beds added to F-Type-Prisons, which is designed for 3, in order to place 6 people in a cell.

The institutions shut down by decrees

  • 1061 pre-schools, elementary schools, secondary school and high schools

  • 15 private universities

  • 133 student residences and hostels

  • 35 health care centers and hospitals

  • 1125 associations

  • 104 foundations

  • 19 occupational unions have been shut down.

  • Trustees have been assigned to 35 municipalities.

Violations of freedom of expression

  • 16 TV channels, 45 newspapers, 15 periodicals, 3 news agencies, 23 radio stations, 29 publishing houses and distribution firms have been shut down as part of the investigation on Gulenists.

  • Furthermore, by the force of state of emergency decrees, 12 TV channels and radio stations, which are leftist, socialists and broadcasting in multiple languages, especially in Kurdish, have been shut down. Their websites are also blocked.

  • Özgür Gündem newspapers is shut down.

  • 128 journalists are currently in prison.

Dismissed and suspended personnel in state institutions

  • Up to now, 42,957 civilian public servants

  • 3,534 soldiers, including 158 generals

  • 10,029 police officers have been dismissed.

  • Upon the decision of Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, 3,456 judges and prosecutor have been dismissed.

  • Around 11,000 teachers and 12,000 police officers have been suspended.

  • Tens of thousands of people working in the institutions that have been shut down by decrees are currently unemployed.

  • The licenses of around 30,000 teachers working in private educational institutions have been canceled.

  • Around 56,000 passport have been canceled.   

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