Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) said in its 2021 report that the state of emergency that was declared after the coup attempt in mid 2016 and which was ended in July 2018 has become permanent through laws enacted on grounds provided by a series of presidential decrees, particularly through the law no 7145.
The said law authorizes governors to restrict entrances and exits in specific areas in a province, and to ban mass gatherings.
“Typically authoritarian regime”
IHD said, “Turkey is currently going through an authoritarian phase which has the aspects of a state of emergency.”
It added that the transition to the presidential system through a constitutional amendment in April 2017 has resulted in a “typically authoritarian regime.”
The report highlighted that while the deadlock in the resolution of the Kurdish question remained in place, armed conflict was extended in 2021 to include Northern Iraq in an attempt by the polical administration to have certain areas in the region under control.
The disenfranchisement of Kurdish people through removal of elected local officials and appointment of trustees in their place continued in 2021, the report noted.
The demand of Alevi communities for equal citizenship has still not been met, it added.
24 curfews
Curfews were declared 24 times in 2021, some extending up to 15 days, in villages around the Kurdish-majority cities of of Bitlis, Tatvan, Mardin, Mazidagi, Omerli, Derik, Nusaybin, Artuklu, Kiziltepe, Hakkari and its district centers, and Sirnak.
352 people killed in clashes
69 Turkish troops and police officers, 275 militants and eight civilians were killed in clashes within Turkey and in cross border operations, with a further 63 troops, six civilians and two militants injured.
16 people were killed in by the police, either because they did not comply with a warning to stop, or as they fell victim to an indiscriminate firing by the police.
At least 57 people died in Turkish prisons because of illness, suicide, violence.
375 femicides
At least 375 femicides were committed by men, and a further 239 women were killed in suspicious circumstances, while 1305 women survived in similar incidents with injuries.
Over 2,600 people filed complaints of torture or ill treatment
531 people, including 12 children, filed complaints that they were subjected to torture or ill treatment while in custody. A further 704, including 25 children, filed complaints of torture or ill treatment at various locations. 1,414 complained that they were subjected to torture of ill treatment in prison.
Systematic targeting of mass gatherings
While 409 mass gatherings were targeted by the Turkish police in 2021, 2,835 complained that they were subjected to beating and ill treatment.
The report stated that there are 326,243 prisoners in Turkey as of late 2021, and that this included 12,995 women and 2,447 children.
Source:gerceknews
