the use of torture against Kurds and homosexuals increases

It follows from a study on the year 2023 published by activists from the Turkish Human Rights Foundation. Last year 781 people asked for help and protection after suffering violence. Six people died in prison or in police custody as a result of beatings. The “disproportionate” use of force against the Kurds.

Istanbul () – Kurds, people of LGBT+ sexual orientation and other members of minorities are united by a common element: they have been victims of an “increasing use of torture” by Turkish authorities in the recent past. A recently published report by the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (Tihv/Hrft) shows that in 2023 at least 739 people – although the data could be underestimated – in Ankara, Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Izmir, Van and Cizre personally suffered torture or ill-treatment . Added to these are another 42 cases of people who reported abuse against family members or friends.

The 2023 study, based on complaints collected in treatment and rehabilitation centers linked to Tihv/Hrft, shows a “significant” number of cases of torture, serious abuse and mistreatment. Since it was created in 1990, the Foundation has received a total of 21,894 requests for help, of which 7,548 since 2014. In the last year alone, 781 people requested help and protection after having suffered violence. Specifically, 731 cases occurred within national borders and eight were reported from abroad by agents or personalities linked to Turkey. The report indicates that 72.2% of the cases reported in 2023 occurred within that year, while the rest of the cases were verified in previous years, of which 90% in the last six years. Last year at least six people also died in prison or in custody due to torture.

A significant portion of the victims were women and members of the LGBTI+ community. Specifically, 240 identified as women, 428 as men, and 63 as non-binary/queer. The distribution of complaints between months showed a peak between June and July, in correlation with the increase in police interventions during Pride Week events. The ages of the applicants ranged from 7 to 77 years old, almost half of them between 19 and 35 years old.

The report notes a worrying increase in unofficial or secret detentions: 598 applicants reported that they had been officially detained, while 133 reported being held in an unofficial and unrecorded manner. This trend is related to police interventions during public demonstrations and press releases, and is described by experts as “the changing face of torture.” The highest number of requests was recorded in Istanbul with 251 cases, followed by Izmir with 172 and Van with 161. Despite the interruption of service for almost four months due to the February 2023 earthquake, the Diyarbakır office received 125 requests. Cizre and Ankara received 40 and 32 applications.

The Istanbul Police Department was identified as the place where the highest number of torture episodes were reported, followed by the police departments of Diyarbakır, Ankara and Van, where the Kurdish minority was especially targeted. In fact, the report shows that this population, which has long been a target of the authorities and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is “disproportionately” affected by the use of torture. Analysis of the places of birth and mother tongues of applicants for assistance and protection indicates that those of Kurdish ethnicity are subject to higher rates of rape than other ethnic groups, a trend that continued in 2023.

The abuses and violations are also confirmed by a study by Amnesty International, according to which investigations, judicial proceedings and unfounded convictions against human rights defenders, journalists, opposition politicians and activists continued last year. Additionally, anti-terrorism and disinformation laws have been repeatedly used to reduce freedom of expression, as well as unjustified limits on freedom of peaceful assembly. At the same time, “widespread” violence against women and girls persists, as well as discriminatory and stigmatizing rhetoric towards LGBTI people, refugees and immigrants in the period leading up to the presidential and legislative elections in May. Victims of human rights violations committed by public officials continue to suffer the effects of a culture of impunity, and there are serious and credible accusations of torture and other mistreatment.