SCF: Human Rights in Turkey - 2025 in Review

Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF), February 2026

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Overview

The Stockholm Center for Freedom’s Human Rights in Turkey: 2025 in Review provides a comprehensive assessment of ongoing human-rights violations across Türkiye throughout 2025.

The report documents widespread abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, restrictions on freedom of expression, and the continued persecution of individuals accused of affiliation with the Hizmet (Gülen) Movement.

SCF highlights that the Turkish government’s post-2016 crackdown has evolved into a systemic and institutionalized pattern of repression, affecting journalists, civil servants, educators, and ordinary citizens.

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Key Findings

• Mass detentions and prosecutions: Thousands of individuals continue to face arrest, investigation, or imprisonment under terrorism-related charges, often without credible evidence.

• Targeting of the Hizmet Movement: People accused of links to the Hizmet Movement remain primary targets of judicial actions, including prolonged detention, asset seizures, and social exclusion.

• Torture and ill-treatment: Reports document continued allegations of abuse in police custody and prisons, including beatings, threats, and denial of medical care.

• Judicial politicization: Courts increasingly operate under executive influence, undermining fair-trial guarantees and due process.

• Freedom of expression restrictions: Journalists, academics, and social-media users face criminal charges for criticism of government policies.

• Transnational repression: Turkish authorities continue to pursue alleged Hizmet affiliates abroad through extradition requests, renditions, and diplomatic pressure.

• Prison conditions: Overcrowding, poor hygiene, and limited access to healthcare remain serious concerns in detention facilities.

• Civil society suppression: NGOs and advocacy groups face investigations, closures, and financial restrictions.

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Why It Matters

SCF’s 2025 review confirms that human-rights violations in Türkiye are systemic rather than isolated, reflecting a sustained policy of repression.

The continued targeting of the Hizmet Movement demonstrates how counterterrorism laws are used to criminalize peaceful association and belief, contributing to long-term societal divisions and widespread injustice.

The findings reinforce international concerns raised by the United Nations, the European Court of Human Rights, and other monitoring bodies, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and restoration of the rule of law.

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Tags

Hizmet Movement · Türkiye · Human Rights · Rule of Law · Post-Coup Purge · Fethullah Gülen · Judicial Independence · Repression