Turkey

Dr Şebnem Korur Fincancı, the head of Turkey's medical association, a forensic expert and a human rights activist, has been sentenced to nearly three years imprisonment on charges of disseminating “terrorist propaganda” following her calls for investigation of the army’s alleged use of chemical weapons against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. She was eligible for release and is expected to appeal the verdict. Rights groups described the case as a bid to silence her and other activists, pointing at the lack of judicial independence and the mounting crackdown on human rights by the government. The World Medical Association said the case was “unfounded, unlawful and unacceptable”, while the Standing Committee of European Doctors called it “a continuous harassment of the Turkish Medical Association.” The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by the EU, US, Turkey and much of the international community, had published a video showing Turkish military releasing a substance into a cave and revealing the consequences it had on the fighters. The Turkish government denied these claims and accused Fincancı of lending credibility to the PKK while defaming the Turkish military.

Freedom of Expression Personal Integrity and Security

Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and was banned from political activity through a Turkish court verdict, which is subject to appeal. Imamoglu was sentenced on the basis of insulting public officials through a comment he made in a speech after he won Istanbul’s election in 2019, in which he said that “those who cancelled the March 31 [2019 Istanbul mayoral] election are fools.” Critics have considered the ruling as a method to sideline Imamoglu ahead of 2023’s elections and have said the courts are under Erdoğan’s control, while the government insists the judiciary is independent. Thousands protested the verdict in Istanbul, and Human Rights Watch called it an attack on the democratic process and an “unjustified and politically calculated assault on Turkey’s political opposition” through misuse of courts.

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The explosion in central Istanbul on 13 November that left at least six killed and 81 wounded was met with a strong response by the Turkish government. The broadcasting supervisory authority RTUK enforced a news blackout and suspended coverage of the incident as well as several social media platforms stating public fear and panic as the motives. Experts said that the information blackout is worrisome as it indicates what’s to come in the 2023 presidential election. Turkey blamed Kurdish militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Syrian Kurdish YPG militia for the attack, which both groups denied. In retaliation, Turkey carried out deadly airstrikes on Kurdish posts in Syria and Iraq. In response to this, a day after Turkey bombed Kurdish militants, rockets were fired from northern Syria in the Turkish border town of Karkamis, killing at least three people. The United States called for de-escalation of tensions in the Turkish-Syrian border, stating that military actions destabilize the region, endanger civilians and undermine ongoing operations against ISIS.

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The country’s parliament has passed a new ‘disinformation’ law, which has been criticized to crack down on dissent, particularly as the country prepares for elections in 2023. Proposed by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the new legislation prohibits spreading 'false information about the internal and external security, public order and general wellbeing of the country in order to create anxiety, fear or panic among the public'. The law could see journalists and social media users being jailed for up to three years or receiving up to 50 per cent higher sentences in cases where accounts are anonymous. Additionally, Professor Şebnem Fincancı, President of the Union of Turkish Medical Associations and a human rights expert, has been arbitrarily placed in pre-trial detention on “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” following her calls for an investigation into claims that Turkish army used chemical weapons against Kurdish militants. Both developments were widely condemned by human rights groups.

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