Human Rights Association

The United Nations Human Rights Committee on June 2 asked Serbia to delay the extradition of Ecevit Piroglu, a Kurdish politician and activist wanted by Turkey, until it reviews the case.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (R) at a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, October 7, 2019. Photo by EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

Turkish Gendarmerie clash with Kurdish demonstrators during a protest against Islamic State (IS) militants near Sanliurfa, Turkey, 07 October 2014. Photo: EPA/SEDAT SUNA

A little over half were arrested and the others were still being sought, the Ankara Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Feb. 16 criticized the government for not taking the "necessary steps" to rescue 13 Turkish nationals that were killed by the illegal PKK group. The CHP leader has posed five questions to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and held him responsible over the incident.

According to epiruspost.gr, in the last few hours the tension in the Albanian city of Himara rises dangerously as dozens of the members of the indigenous Greek minority of the area have been brought to the police station.

A number of Turkish doctors and rights groups have slammed the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for rejecting a request by two jailed educators, who have been on hunger strikes for nearly 150 days, to order Ankara to release them on health grounds.

Several Turkish human rights associations have slammed a number of media reports on the recent detention of human rights activists for "defaming and criminalizing" the rights activists. 

The U.S. is "deeply concerned" by the detention of 10 human rights activists, including the Turkey head of Amnesty International, in Istanbul, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on July 6.

Turkey is going through its worst period in terms of rights abuses since the foundation of the Human Rights Association (İHD), according to İHD head Öztürk Türkdoğan. 

Türkdoğan said İHD's annual report listed the highest number of human rights violations since its establishment on July 17, 1986. 

Members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have killed 23-year-old teacher Necmettin Yılmaz, who they had abducted last week in the eastern province of Tunceli. 

Yılmaz, who was serving as a teacher in the Çiftçibaşı village of the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, was driving on a highway when a group of PKK militants stopped his car.