Erdogan intensifies crackdown on freedom of expression

Time and time again, Turkish authorities have suppressed free speech and peaceful protest through police brutality, violence, and mass arrests. The authorities understand their obligations to respect fundamental human rights and choose not just to ignore them but to trample all over them.

Police fired tear gas at protesters gathering in the Black Sea town of Trabzon, leaving dozens of people injured. Footage widely circulated on social media showed Turkish security aides beating demonstrators and kicking those some on the ground repeatedly in the head.

Turkey has been experiencing a deepening human rights crisis over the past few months. Last November, Turkish police detained 26 members of a teachers’ union and roughed up unionists at a protest, part of a long-standing crackdown on unions critical of the government.

Between 1959 and 2020, Turkey was found to have committed 3,309 human rights violations, more than any other country. Of the 97 cases involving Turkey in 2020, 85 were found to involve at least one rights violation. 

Turkey ranks first among the 47 Council of Europe (CoE) member states in the number of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning violations of freedom of expression in 2020, Turkish Minute reported, citing an activity report announced by the court on Thursday.