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Documenting the "Civil Death" of 162,239 public employees dismissed without trial, the failure of the OHAL Commission, and 153 documented rights violations in post-coup Turkey.
Available in: English • Türkçe
KHK stands for Kanun Hükmünde Kararname — a Decree with the Force of Law. Following the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which began in the evening during the busiest hours, Turkey declared a State of Emergency (OHAL) that lasted two years.
Under this regime, the Turkish executive ruled largely through Decrees with the Force of Law, effectively bypassing parliament and the judiciary — enabling the summary dismissal of 162,239 public employees across 229 occupational groups, the closure of thousands of institutions, and the cancellation of passports, all without due process or the right to defense.
The government attributed the coup to the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, designating the movement — known as Hizmet followers — as a terrorist organisation. Critics and international legal scholars describe the condition of those affected as "Civil Death" — banned from public service, denied private sector employment, excluded from health insurance, and restricted from leaving the country.
Passports belonging to individuals residing abroad were marked as "lost/stolen" in databases to invalidate them. Critically, the formal end of the OHAL in 2018 did not end the sanctions — the same restrictions continue today, with no effective legal remedy available domestically.
Decree-Laws issued during the 2016–2018 State of Emergency (OHAL), bypassing parliamentary scrutiny and judicial review to dismiss, ban, and punish 162,239 individuals.
A systematic mapping of 153 distinct rights violations against KHK victims, categorized in parallel with international human rights law — the ECHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
These violations form an interlocking regime of multi-layered, ongoing punishment applied to 162,239 individuals dismissed without trial or individualized evidence across 229 occupational groups.
Explore the specific legal and social mechanisms of the Decree-Laws.
The legal and financial reality of Kamudan İhraç — being blacklisted from all public employment and the lasting stigma of decree dismissal.
Read MoreAnalysis of Decree-Law 685's Inquiry Commission — why 85%+ of applications were rejected and how it fails as an effective remedy.
See DataThe impact of Pasaport İptali — how families are separated, freedom of movement is eliminated, and the struggle to regain documentation.
Learn MoreFrom SGK health insurance cancellations to bank account freezes — the total exclusion from civil, economic, and social life engineered by the decrees.
Read ImpactThe generational trauma — how KHK families and children face bullying, school exclusions, surveillance, and profound economic hardship.
Read StoriesKHK SSS. How to apply to the ECHR? What is the Venice Commission's position? Guides for legal defense and international advocacy.
Get InfoMajor international bodies have raised serious alarms regarding the lack of effective domestic remedies in Turkey. The "Commission" established to review KHK cases has been widely criticised for lacking independence.
"The measures taken go beyond what is permitted by the Constitution and International Law, and undermine the rule of law itself."
"A pattern of systematic human rights violations, the weaponization of the judiciary, and the deliberate dismantling of institutional checks and balances."
"The OHAL Commission does not constitute an effective domestic remedy — applicants have been left without recourse for years, in violation of Article 13 of the Convention."
The term "Civil Death" describes the total exclusion of KHK victims from public life. It is not a metaphor — it is a precise legal and social reality experienced by 162,239 individuals and their families.
From the cancellation of health insurance and pension rights, to the freezing of bank accounts and the revocation of professional licences, KHK victims face a systematic dismantling of the rights that underpin a dignified life.
These sanctions were not designed to expire with the State of Emergency. They are indefinite, automatic, and without appeal through any effective domestic mechanism — continuing long after the OHAL's formal end in 2018. Many victims have been forced into exile, separated from family members for decades.
Of all applications submitted to the Inquiry Commission on State of Emergency Measures, over 85% were rejected. Since 2018, the ECHR has faulted Turkey for the convictions of 6,884 applicants — leaving victims with no effective domestic remedy.
Established by Decree-Law 685, the Inquiry Commission on State of Emergency Measures was presented as the official domestic remedy for KHK dismissals. In practice, it has failed fundamentally.
The Commission operates without meaningful independence from the executive, applies no individualized review of evidence, and has rejected over 85% of applications — often without transparent reasoning.
International bodies including the ECHR have concluded that the Commission does not constitute an effective domestic remedy, meaning applicants have exhausted remedies and may petition Strasbourg directly. Since 2018, the ECHR has faulted Turkey for the convictions of 6,884 applicants. As of November 2025, 35.8% of the applications pending before the ECHR from 46 countries originate from Turkey.
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