Amnesty International: The State of the World's Human Rights 2025/26 – Turkey
Amnesty International, April 2026
Overview
Amnesty International's The State of the World's Human Rights 2025/26 examines major human rights developments in Turkey during 2025. The report documents intensified legal pressure on opposition politicians, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders, alongside continued restrictions on fundamental freedoms and growing concerns over judicial independence.
Amnesty highlights Turkey's failure to implement binding European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments, unlawful restrictions on peaceful demonstrations, and persistent allegations of police abuse and ill-treatment.
Key Findings
Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials: Authorities continued to pursue investigations and prosecutions against political opponents, lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders. The report highlights arbitrary detentions and the use of criminal proceedings against critics.
Judicial Independence: Executive interference with the judiciary deepened, raising serious concerns about due process, fair-trial guarantees, and political influence over judicial proceedings.
Noncompliance with ECtHR Judgments: Osman Kavala and Selahattin Demirtas remained imprisoned despite binding European Court of Human Rights judgments calling for their release.
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: Authorities imposed restrictions on demonstrations and used unlawful force against peaceful protesters. During nationwide protests in March 2025, Turkey's Interior Ministry reported that 1,879 people were detained.
Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom: Journalists and media organizations continued to face legal pressure. The report highlights the detention and prosecution of journalists, restrictions on independent reporting, and the state takeover of an opposition television channel.
Pressure on Civil Society: Lawyers' associations and civil society organizations faced judicial and administrative interference, including proceedings affecting the Istanbul Bar Association.
Torture and Ill-Treatment: Allegations of police abuse and ill-treatment persisted, while victims of human rights violations continued to face obstacles in obtaining accountability.
Human Rights Defenders: Although several significant acquittals occurred, including that of former Amnesty International Turkey chair Taner Kilic, rights defenders continued to face investigations, prosecutions, and restrictions on their activities.
Why It Matters
Amnesty International's 2025/26 assessment underscores the continued erosion of democratic safeguards and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. The findings demonstrate the importance of judicial independence, accountability for human rights violations, protection of peaceful dissent, and full implementation of binding international human rights judgments.
The report reinforces the need for sustained international attention to human rights and the rule of law in Turkey.
Tags
Turkey · Human Rights · Amnesty International · Rule of Law · Judicial Independence · Freedom of Expression · Arbitrary Detention · Democracy
Comments