The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) has released its “2020 Human Rights Report” which documented the violations of rights in Turkey for the year 2020.
According to the report; At least 3, 291 people’s right to life was violated, according to the report.
141 political party members and 90 non-governmental organisation members were sent to jail together with 25 human rights defenders and over 2000 people were detained during demonstrations and protests.
At least 616 people were detained due to their social media posts; 11 people were arrested. Investigations were launched against at least 147 people due to their social media posts.
It was reported that the total duration of sentences given to 41 journalists who were tried during 2020 was 173 years and 11 months.
The report stressed that protesters were sentenced to a total of 253 years in prison, and that freedom of assembly was violated by the governor bans on public demonstrations.
It was stated that the Covid-19 pandemic came to the fore as an important factor in violations of rights and freedoms.
“The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was addressed as a security problem rather than a public health problem and used to further increase state pressure and control over society,” the report read.
Some important information in the report are as follows:
- As a result of 13 racist attacks, 7 people, including 3 children, lost their lives and 8 people, including 1 child, were injured.
- 8 of these attacks were against refugees. The attacks in Giresun, Yozgat, Sakarya and Afyon were targeted against Kurdish workers who came to those cities as seasonal workers.
- At least 6 workers died every day and 2427 workers lost their lives in 2020.
- At least 284 women and at least 26 children were killed by men.
- 35 people died in prisons.
- 322 health workers died due to Covid-19.
- 3 MPs were removed from the office due to the final court decision and they were arrested.
- 1 MP was attacked. 6 politicians who served as MPs in previous periods were detained.
- 108 people elected to local government were detained.
- At least 513 people who were either members or administratives of political parties were detained; 141 among them were imprisoned.
- At least 299 people who were members and managers of associations, foundations, trade unions and professional organisations, were detained and 90 among them were imprisoned.
- At least 404 people were subjected to torture and ill-treatment and at least 86 people were wounded during at least some 140 incidents Out of the 139 identified incidents, 22 occurred during house raids, 86 in open spaces and 31 in official detention centres.
