The latest report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) reveals a significant increase in cases of torture and ill-treatment in Turkey in 2023, with a disproportionate number of victims being Kurdish-speaking individuals.
The TİHV report found that 781 individuals complained that they had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in Turkey in 2023. According to the foundation’s Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres Report, 739 individuals applied to the foundation personally, while 42 applied on behalf of a relative.
The foundation has been working for over 30 years to prevent torture and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for torture survivors.
The number of applications made to the TİHV relating to complaints of torture has reached 7,548 since 2014 and 21,894 since the foundation’s establishment in 1990.
Kurdish speakers subjected to disproportionate rates of torture
The report notes that the mother tongue of 67% of the applicants was Kurdish or one of its dialects, with rates of torture in the predominantly Kurdish-populated southeast and eastern Turkey being 2.6 times higher than the national average, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). The TİHV also stated that most of those tortured and ill-treated were detained in the streets and public spaces, suggesting that a disproportionate use of force for punishment and intimidation in public spaces was becoming legitimised through such practices.
Incidence of torture cases in public spaces increased in 2023
The TİHV found that 72.2% (528 people) of those who were tortured in 2023 had the experience within the same year, while 21.9% (160 people) had been tortured between 2018 and 2022. The report also highlighted that six individuals who indicated they had suffered torture and ill-treatment died during their periods of detention. Of the torture survivors, 32.8% identified as female, 58.5% as male, and 8.1% as LGBTQ+. The age range of the applicants varied from 7 to 77, with 49.2% being between 19 and 35 years old. The report indicated that 81.8% of the torture reports involved official detention, and 18.2% unofficial detention. The high rate of unofficial detentions was associated with police interventions during public demonstrations and press conferences.
Regional distribution and the situation of Istanbul Police Department
In 2023, the highest number of torture-related applications was 251, made to the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre’s Istanbul branch. The Izmir branch received 172 applications, and the Van (Wan) branch received 161. Despite being unable to operate for nearly four months due to the earthquakes in February, the branch office in Diyarbakır (Amed) still received 125 applications in 2023.
