President of the Balıkesir Office of Human Rights Association’s (İHD) Rafet Fahri Semizoğlu was taken under custody by the gendarmerie following the raid of his house at dawn. Semizoğlu was released after five days under judicial control. There is an ongoing investigation against him. During his statement, he was asked about the prison visits he has conducted a year and a half ago. He is now being accused of “providing financial support to a terrorist organization”.   Rafet Fahri Semizoğlu was born in Ankara in 1962.

Independent Mineworkers Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş Sendikası) Expert Union Organizer Kamil Kartal has served for the trade union movement all his life. He was sued and taken into custody a number of times. The decision taken by the Akhisar Criminal Court of First Instance to sentence Kartal to 33 months in prison is currently pending at the Court of Cassation.   

Turkey is the first state to sign Istanbul Convention  (Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence) on May 11, 2011 during the European Council Committee of Ministers. 

10 human rights defenders from different non-governmental organizations gathered in Istanbul Buyukada for a training workshop and were detained in a police raid on the 5th day of the workshop, on 5 July 2017. On July 17, 2020, they were brought to the prosecutor's office on charges of "committing crime on behalf of the terrorist organization without being a member of the organization" and "membership in an armed terrorist organization". While 8 of 10 defenders were arrested, 2 of them were released on condition of judicial control.

Ozan Devrim Yay is an academic and human rights defender. He also serves as the co-president of the Eskişehir based Yaşam Bellek Özgürlük Derneği (Life Memory Freedom Association). Nine legal investigations were launched against him due to his activism, seven of which became lawsuits. He is a signatory of the “We will not be party to this crime” statement waiting to be returned to his post at the university.

İsmail Temel is a LGBTI+ activist from Izmir, who survived police brutality following the August 5, 2020 pro-Istanbul Convention protest in Alsancak, Izmir. Temel fainted while he was taken under custody and was taken to the hospital with a police vehicle rather than an ambulance. He was called to give a statement at the police station for the allegation that he “resisted the orders of the police”. Temel lost his house and job for he was outed against his consent. 

There are a number of indemnity and criminal lawsuits filed by leather and textile companies against the previous president of Izmir Branch of Deriteks Union under Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş), Makum Alagöz. He is now facing 4 trials for his social media posts on the working conditions of union members. 

Munzur Environment Culture and Solidarity Association leads a rights-based struggle against crimes committed against nature and biotope by making them more visible to the public eye. The President of the Association Ali Ekber Barmağıç was taken under custody on August 30, 2020. Barmağıç’s lawyers could not receive any information regarding his case under an order of confidentiality while he was detained for 4 days. He was taken to court on July 3, 2020 and arrested.

Tugay Kartal has been working for the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) for the past 43 years; is a member of the railway workers union for 29 years and an active member of Haydarpaşa Solidarity Movement for 15 years. Due to his union activities, there were a number of administrative investigations launched against him and fines were deducted from his salary. He was tried for strike actions. One of these lawsuits is ongoing. There are two administrative investigations concerning statements he made while representing Haydarpaşa Solidarity Movement as a railway worker.

The Covid-19 epidemic increased the pressure on labor unions. Members of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) were not allowed to enter Taksim Square on May Day and executives of the confederation were taken under custody. DİSK/Textile Gaziantep Region Representative Mehmet Türkmen was taken under custody after he became a target in the local media following his social media posts on conditions under which workers are forced to work at the factories during the pandemic. He was released upon giving a statement at the prosecutor’s office.