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Justice Square: Violation Decisions Given by the United Nations After July 15, 2016

  • Writer: NCCA
    NCCA
  • Oct 13
  • 2 min read

Updated: Nov 6

Justice Square, October 2025

Justice Square logo alongside the United Nations emblem on a textured blue background, representing international human rights and UN violation decisions.

Overview

A new report by the Netherlands-based human rights organization Justice Square documents a consistent pattern of rights violations in Turkey as identified by multiple United Nations bodies since the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.


The 94-page report, titled “Violation Decisions Given by the United Nations After July 15, 2016,” reviews over 40 rulings issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Human Rights Committee, and the Committee Against Torture. It concludes that Turkey has repeatedly violated its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture.



Key Findings

  • UN experts identified arbitrary detention, lack of due process, enforced disappearances, and torture as recurring violations between 2017 and 2024.

  • The majority of cases involved civilians, journalists, academics, and judges accused of affiliation with the Hizmet (Gülen) Movement.

  • The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention classified Turkey’s post-coup detentions as “arbitrary” under multiple categories—deprivation of liberty without legal basis, suppression of fundamental freedoms, and discrimination for political beliefs.

  • Many detainees were held without charge, denied access to family or lawyers, and subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment.

  • The Human Rights Committee criticized Turkey’s Constitutional Court for failing to provide effective judicial remedies, stressing that review must be “genuine and prompt.”

  • The Committee Against Torture documented cases where Turkish nationals were abducted or extradited from countries such as Morocco, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan, violating the international principle of non-refoulement.

  • UN findings also pointed to torture and ill-treatment in pretrial detention, including physical abuse, threats, and psychological pressure to obtain confessions.

  • Several rulings expressed concern over erosion of judicial independence, noting that detentions of judges and prosecutors reflected executive control over the judiciary.

  • In a landmark case, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that the imprisonment of Gen. Akın Ozturk, the former Air Force commander accused of leading the 2016 coup attempt, lacked legal basis and violated international fair-trial guarantees.



Why It Matters

The UN rulings—while not legally binding—carry strong moral and diplomatic weight, urging Turkey to release detainees, provide compensation, and align its laws with international human rights standards.


The findings also warn other countries against assisting in Ankara’s extraterritorial abductions or deportations of Turkish citizens, citing several cases of cross-border complicity.


Justice Square emphasizes that these consistent UN decisions now form a substantial body of international jurisprudence documenting post-coup human rights violations in Turkey—evidence that should inform future accountability mechanisms.



Tags

Human Rights · United Nations · Hizmet Movement · Turkey · Arbitrary Detention · Rule of Law · Torture · Transnational Repression

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