Human rights violations documented in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority eastern and south-eastern provinces displayed an increase in 2022 against the backdrop of de facto state of emergency conditions, a recent report said.
The 2022 report of the southeastern Diyarbakır (Amed) branch of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (İHD) documents a significant increase in violations last year, reporting state violence against civilians, political opposition groups, Kurdish journalists and the Kurdish population in general.
According to the report released on Friday, some 2,143 people, including 110 minors, were taken into custody in the region last year, and around 200 of them were remanded in custody by the courts and sent to prison.
The use of excessive force by security forces resulted in the death of at least six citizens and the injury of at least 14 others, while 21 prisoners died in prisons in the region, 13 as a result of alleged suicides and eight of various illnesses.
The report also highlights cases of violence against women and children, with 39 women losing their lives due to domestic violence, and 18 women losing their lives due to various other forms of violence.
At least 260 children were subjected to sexual abuse, with eight committing suicide and eight dying as a result of violence in public places.
The murders of three people remained unsolved, the report said, adding that the authorities claimed that eight members of the security forces had committed suicide.
Some 114 members of the security forces died and 59 others were wounded in clashes in Turkey and in cross-border operations into northern Iraq and northern Syria, according to the report, while 267 Kurdish fighters and nine civilians lost their lives.
The report also highlights violations of prisoners’ rights, restrictions on meetings and demonstrations, and the sentencing of 127 citizens to various prison sentences and fines.
The İHD Diyarbakır branch called for swift action to address the human rights violations in eastern and southeastern Turkey and to ensure that the victims receive justice. The report urges the international community to pay attention to the ongoing crisis and to take action to support those affected by the violations.
