A report by the Freedom of Belief Initiative (İnanç Özgürlüğü Girişimi) on ‘Hate Crimes Based on Religion, Belief or Disbelief in Turkey 2022’ was published on Tuesday, detecting 36 hate crimes through the year. The report aims to contribute to the prevention of hate crimes and to overcome impunity related to these crimes.
Hate crimes are a serious obstacle to social peace in Turkey, according to the report penned by Funda Tekin. It emphasises that hate crimes based on religion, belief, or disbelief continue to be a significant problem, and that the legal regulations and practices against these crimes are quite ineffective. The report underlines that a comprehensive approach is needed to combat these crimes, including monitoring and reporting by public officials and civil society, effective investigation, compensation for damages, and multi-party cooperation.
Among the incidents monitored from January to December 2022, the number of incidents directed at each of the targeted groups were as follows: Alevis 15, Christians 15, Jews 4, Yazidis 1, Muslims 1. Some of the hate crimes against Christians targeted ethnic identities such as Armenians, Syriacs, and Greeks.
Although the Human Rights Action Plan of April 2021 was seen as a significant step forward, the report notes that its goals have not been fulfilled two years on, and that hate crime legislation in Turkey is still inadequate. An urgent call was made for comprehensive legal regulation and action against impunity policies, highlighting the impact on Turkey’s democratic issues.
Recommendations:
The report also includes the following suggestions:
Public officials should ensure legislation to prevent all hate crimes, record them separately, investigate and prosecute them effectively, and apply appropriate sanctions. They should also take measures to support the victims in various ways.
Civil society should build better relations with the media to disseminate accurate information about hate crimes, collaborate with different groups to develop policies, advocacy strategies and tools to create change in combating hate crimes, conduct activities to raise awareness, provide direct support to victims, and monitor and report hate crimes.
Religious or belief communities should conduct awareness-raising activities for their communities; contribute to increasing the visibility of hate crimes by reporting them, creating their databases and sharing data; provide practical support to victims; share information and collaborate with organisations working on hate crimes.
