
Turkey
Asia
Europe
Discipline
Health
Torture
Turkey
High-security prisons known as “well-type” facilities have drawn public criticism in Türkiye due to their severe isolation conditions.
Asia
Elderly prisoners
Europe
Minors
Health
Overcrowding
Turkey
As of February, 407,266 people are incarcerated in 403 prisons, which have a combined official capacity of 304,956, according to CİSST.
Türkiye: mother incarcerated in Gülen case with 1-year-old by her side despite law on recent mothers
News
Women
Asia
Europe
Minors
Access to legal rights
Turkey
Turkish authorities have jailed a woman accompanied by her 1-year-old infant as part of an investigation into the Gülen movement despite the fact that the law allows courts to postpone sentences for women who gave birth within the past 18 months.
Europe
Minors
Access to legal rights
Health
Torture
Social ties
Turkey
At least 2,651 people were subjected to ill-treatment during detentions at 191 peaceful protests, including 27 children and 46 journalists, according to the Human Rights Association.
Pre-trial detention
Women
Europe
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Access to legal rights
Overcrowding
Turkey
The number of incarcerated people in Türkiye’s prisons has reached 420,904. This marks a sevenfold increase from the 59,429 recorded in 2002, the year the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power.
Europe
LGBTQI
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Turkey
Gökalp, a member of the LGBTI+ commission of the Socialist Party (SOLDEP), was arrested on May 2 in İzmir and sent to prison. Gökalp’s lawyer, Deniz Can Aydın, called for her immediate release, citing serious health concerns and claims of harassment in prison due to her gender identity.
Türkiye: broken spirits
Testimonial
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Turkey
As the Turkish government’s oppression has been intensifying, the number of incarcerated people has increased by 50,000 in the last six months in the country.
Women
Elderly prisoners
Europe
Minors
Health
Material conditions
Turkey
Lawyers associations in Turkey visited the Batman closed prison to report human rights violations experienced by the group of youths arrested for dancing to Kurdish music. Accordingly, the group was strip searched and forced to listen to nationalistic marches as “punishment.”
Pınar Selek: “I saw the gravity of imprisonment”
Testimonial
Women
Europe
Justice
Torture
Turkey
Pınar Selek is a Turkish sociologist, feminist and anti-militarist activist. In 1998, she was arrested then imprisoned for two and a half years in Türkiye, on the basis of false allegations. She explains the causes she fights for, her arrest and torture, the conditions of her imprisonment and her r…
Pınar Selek: “Türkiye is like one huge prison.”
Testimonial
Women
Europe
Justice
Torture
Turkey
Pınar Selek is a sociologist, feminist and anti-militarist activist. In 1998, she was imprisoned for two and a half years in Türkiye, on the basis of false allegations. She explains the causes she fights for, her arrest and torture, the conditions of her imprisonment and her reconstruction. Part 1
Türkiye: where art forms converge
Insights
Focus
Europe
Access to legal rights
Justice
Health
Protest
Overcrowding
Social ties
Turkey
The “2022-2023 Prison Rights Violations Report” highlights systemic human rights abuses in Turkish prisons, revealing a disturbing trend of political repression and isolation practices, particularly concerning the treatment of political prisoners, including Abdullah Öcalan.
Türkiye: prisons in 2024
Analysis
Pre-trial detention
Women
Europe
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Suicide
Torture
Activities
Social ties
Alternatives
Work
Turkey
All there is to know about Turkish prisons in 2024. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.
Türkiye: a struggle for control
Interview
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Facilities
Turkey
Turkish prisons underwent significant transformations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The historical background to this development reflects a conflict between political groups and authorities. Interview with Arda İbikoğlu (Altinbaş University).
Türkiye: lawyers in danger
Interview
Europe
Access to legal rights
Justice
Social ties
Turkey
The Anti-Terror Law is used by the State to imprison lawyers who defend opponents. The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) has been specifically targeted on several occasions. One of its members, Güçlü Sevimli, explains why and under what conditions they are being held.









