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.

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. 

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. 

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.

10 human rights defenders from different non-governmental organizations gathered in İstanbul Büyükada for a training workshop and were detained in a police raid on the 5^th day of the workshop, on July 5^th, 2017. While 8 of 10 defenders were arrested, 2 of them were released on condition of judicial control. In the indictment announced three months later, it was seen that one more rights defender was added among the suspects.

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.

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.

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. 

Rosa Women’s Association leads a struggle against all forms of violence against women. Since May 2020 its executives and members have experienced multiple police raids, after which they were taken under custody and arrested. They are now facing trial with the allegation that they are “members of an armed terrorist organization”.  

Rosa Women’s Association was founded on December 29, 2018 in Diyarbakir as a civil society organization. It is one of the few NGOs in the region that specifically focuses its activities on women’s rights. 

The lockdown and curfew restrictions that started with the COVID-19 pandemic have been instrumentalized for the brutal repression and prevention of peaceful protests. Watch for Water and Conscience activists have been fined with an amount more than 500k Turkish Liras for not leaving their post despite the curfew.