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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 10/18/2022

MASS DETENTIONS IS A BRUTAL HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST RAISE ITS VOICE CALLING ON THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT TO IMMEDIATELY END INCARCERATING DISSIDENTS ON CHARGES OF TERRORISM.

In the early hours of October 18, 2022; 704 people were detained in 51 cities across Turkey. They are accused of helping the families of those purged who have been subjected to unprecedented persecution, dismissed from their public posts and arbitrarily arrested.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced at a press conference that the police successfully detained hundreds of civilian people for they were helping people in prison.

Turkey, which has one of the most broadly defined and ruthless anti-terrorism laws in the world, has opened criminal investigations against two million people for nearly 7 years in order to silence all kinds of dissident voices. The current administration dismissed hundreds of thousands of public servants and bureaucrats, and pressured the private sector companies to lay off hundreds of thousands of people for their alleged ties with the Gulen movement or just having dissident voices. Going beyond, the government took drastic measures so that these people could not work anywhere else sentencing them to “civil death” along with their families.

International organizations such as the Venice Commission and the European Court of Human Rights have openly declared and warned that Turkey’s broadly defined and harsh anti-terrorism laws and methods are used to crush opposition unacceptably.Unfortunately, the same terror laws are used to define even solidarity among the persecuted as terrorist activity. However, the Supreme Court ruled that humanitarian aid to a person or his family cannot be considered as supporting terrorism, even if the person is accused of terrorism. However, Turkey’s government does not abide by either domestic or international human rights laws.

In this respect, the last wave of mass detentions is a brutal disregard of the most human values. This reckless cruelty cannot be met with silence. The international community must raise its voice calling on the Turkish government to immediately end incarcerating dissidents on charges of terrorism. The accused people were teachers, doctors, ordinary people from all walks of life who have never involved in any acts of violence; yet they are all labeled as terrorists.

A strong condemnation of Turkey’s government by the international community will lessen the severity of the persecution. Only such concerted effort can prevent the Turkish government from committing similarly serious human rights violations.

Advocates Silenced Turkey