NEWS CENTER – On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, human rights organizations across Turkey called on the government to comply with the UN Committee Against Torture’s recommendation for allowing the conditional release of prisoners serving aggravated life sentences.
Marketing June 26 various human rights groups, including the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), bar associations, and legal networks held events and issued joint statements in multiple cities.
ISTANBUL
In Istanbul, IHD and TIHV held the final event of their three-day program at Saraçhane Park, attended by activists and representatives from the Migrant Refugee Solidarity Network.
Speaking at the event, TIHV’s Istanbul Representative Ümit Efe emphasized their continued struggle against torture. İHD Istanbul Chair Jiyan Tosun added: “We have experienced widespread violence against peaceful demonstrations, and we are here today for all those subjected to torture. We will continue to resist until torture is eradicated.”
TIHV’s Mümtaz Murat Kök delivered the joint statement, criticizing Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian governance and lack of transparency: “Torture has been a systemic practice not just during military coups, but throughout the history of the Republic. Today, Turkey has become a torture site due to the state’s lawlessness and arbitrary rule.”
He also highlighted the increase in enforced disappearances since the 2016 state of emergency and criticized Turkey’s failure to ratify the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances.
'LACK OF THE RIGHT TO HOPE IS CONTRARY TO HUMAN DIGNITY'
Underlining that prisons in Turkey have always been places where torture and other ill-treatment practices have been intensely experienced, Kök said: “The recent opening of new S-Type, Y-Type and High Security prisons, which further aggravate the conditions of isolation with their architectural structure and daily practice regime, especially the special form of isolation applied in İmralı Prison, as stated in the reports of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), is unacceptable. In addition, it is contrary to human dignity that prisoners sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment do not have the possibility of being released one day, i.e. the ‘right to hope’. The political power, which does not want to limit itself to any rules and norms, especially the Constitution, ignores international mechanisms, their criticisms and warnings, and does not make improvements to prevent torture."
SECOND STATEMENT FROM ISTANBUL BAR ASSOCIATION
The Istanbul Bar Association Human Rights Center also issued a separate statement, urging effective measures against torture, including regular inspections of police stations, prisons, and detention centres.
Berivan Bekçi of the Bar Association said: “According to both Constitutional Court and ECHR data, Turkey is among the worst offenders of the prohibition on torture and ill-treatment.”
NATIONWIDE PARTICIPATION
In Amed (Diyarbakır), TİHV, İHD, SES, and Rosa Women’s Association gathered at Koşuyolu Park. TİHV Regional Representative Murat Aba stated: “We call on the political authorities to immediately implement the minimum demands we’ve repeated for years.”
In Adana, İHD Co-Chair Yasemin Dora Şeker condemned widespread torture practices and impunity: “Torture has become a daily reality. It is a crime, and the state has the responsibility to end it.”
In Wan (Van), İHD and TİHV held a press conference emphasizing that the state must abandon the use of torture as a tool of repression.
COMMON DEMANDS
The following joint demands were voiced by human rights groups nationwide:
“*End all rhetoric and actions that legitimize or praise torture.
*Fully implement procedural safeguards in detention settings.
*Shorten detention periods.
*Abolish the Turkey Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) and establish a truly independent national preventive mechanism compliant with UN OPCAT and the Paris Principles.
*Document torture in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol.
*End isolation-based prison regimes and open prisons to independent inspection.
*Fulfill the UN CAT’s recommendation (para. 17, August 14, 2024): Ensure that prisoners serving aggravated life sentences have a real possibility of release after a reasonable period.
*Publish all CPT reports and comply with international human rights mechanisms.
* Revoke regulations giving Prison Administration and Observation Boards judicial powers aligned with the executive.”