A UN expert expressed concern Thursday over Türkiye’s “misuse” of counter-terrorism laws to detain nine prominent human rights defenders and lawyers.
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor highlighted arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, and lengthy sentences handed to the nine activists and lawyers, emphasizing that these practices undermine fundamental freedoms and violate international human rights standards.
Among the detained are eight members of the rights-focused Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD). Arrested between 2018 and 2019, the lawyers were convicted under the Turkish Anti-Terror Code for “membership in a terrorist organization” and, in some cases, “propaganda for a terrorist organization”. Their sentences, finalized in 2020, range up to 13 years. One member, Oya Aslan, was separately convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 11 years, a decision upheld in November last year.
The organization has been targeted by the Turkish government. In 2018, 17 ÇHD lawyers were arrested and charged with membership in an armed terrorist organization. The indictment cited their representation of clients accused of terrorism as evidence against them. International observers criticized the trial as violating the right to a fair defence.
The UN Special Rapporteur reported that the conviction of lawyer Turan Canpolat from the Malatya Bar Association relied on coerced testimony that was later recanted. Canpolat was sentenced to ten years and has endured nearly three years of solitary confinement without disciplinary orders.
Türkiye’s counter-terrorism framework, including Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terror Code, defines terrorism broadly, encompassing any acts by individuals or organizations aimed at altering Türkiye’s constitutional characteristics or systems; undermining state unity’ threatening state existence; weakening authority; eliminating rights and freedoms; or harming state security, public order, or heath. Critics have argued that such a broad definition has allowed the Turkish state to weaponize its anti-terrorism law to target civil rights groups and suppress domestic dissent.
The UN Special Rapporteur has engaged with the Turkish government, urging it to abide by international human rights laws, cease ill-treatment of detainees, and ensure fair hearings. Lawlor also expressed her intention to discuss these issues further with Turkish authorities.
