The objection against the arrest of Esra Işık has been rejected by the Muğla 2nd Civil Court of First Instance.
Esra Işık was detained and later arrested while protesting during an expert inspection related to a lawsuit against the urgent expropriation of agricultural land around Akbelen Forest in Milas, Muğla. The objection to her arrest has been rejected by the Muğla 2nd Civil Court of First Instance.
She is one of the leading figures in the Akbelen protests. An urgent expropriation decision decision had been issued for 679 parcels of agricultural land surrounding Akbelen Forest in Milas, Muğla which will result in villagers losing their olive groves and homes. Local residents say this action is meant to expand coal mining operations run by YK Energy, a company owned by İçtaş and Limak, and they have taken the case to court.
Court-appointed panel of experts began on-site inspections in the area on March 30 under gendarmerie supervision. Following tensions that arose during the inspection, while villagers reacting the inspection experts on March 31, Esra Işık was detained that night and arrested the same day.
According to the Human Rights Association (İHD) report, at least 930 people were detained for participating in protests or for social media posts related to the issue. At least 123 people were arrested, including 1 journalist and 32 children.
Adnan Bilen /MA
The Human Rights Association (İHD) prepared a report on violations of rights that occurred during protests in Turkey against the attacks that began on January 6, 2026, when the Syrian interim government in Syria targeted Kurdish-populated neighborhoods in Aleppo, and which later spread across Rojava.
The report, prepared by the İHD Documentation Center using information reflected in the press and other open sources, as well as observation reports from İHD branches, covers violations identified between January 6, 2026 and February 12, 2026.
According to the report, at least 930 people were detained for participating in protests or for social media posts related to the issue. At least 123 people were arrested, including 1 journalist and 32 children.
Some of the violations identified in the report are as follows:
Interventions in 22 provinces
In response to protests and reactions against attacks on Kurds in Syria, law enforcement intervened in more than 70 peaceful demonstrations in at least 22 provinces. Many people, including co-mayors, human rights defenders, trade union and professional organization leaders, journalists, and children, were detained.
During the interventions, chemical agents such as tear gas, as well as plastic bullets and water cannons were used. It was documented that law enforcement used physical violence against many individuals and that detainees were handcuffed behind their backs.
Governorships in three provinces (Urfa, Mardin, and Diyarbakır) imposed bans on all types of demonstrations and events for varying periods.
In Mersin, one refugee died after a civilian opened random fire to threaten protesters. At least 5 people, including 4 journalists, were injured by law enforcement in various ways.
At least 930 people were detained for participating in protests or for related social media posts. At least 123 people were arrested, including 1 journalist and 32 children.
Many individuals were subjected to torture and ill-treatment both during interventions against protests and throughout detention and imprisonment processes.
Journalists were obstructed
At least 8 journalists were detained while covering the protests. Journalist Nedim Oruç was arrested.
Access was blocked to more than 40 social media accounts and websites belonging to news outlets, including Mezopotamya Agency, Jinnews, ETHA, Yeni Yaşam, and Ajansa Welat. Hundreds of social media accounts were also restricted.
In response to reports that HTS and affiliated armed groups cut the braids of women they executed in Syria, 4 people (2 of them children) were detained for sharing videos of themselves braiding hair on social media; one child was arrested. A nurse was suspended from duty for sharing similar content. For the same reason, the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) imposed various administrative penalties on the Amedspor club, its president, and player Çekdar Orhan.
At least 46 people who were foreign nationals were deported.
Infographic
Mass Detentions and Interventions: Toll Across 22 Provinces
22City
Interventions happened
70+Protest
Blocked
930+Detention
Participating protest / SM Sharing
123Arrested
At least (32 of them children)
Intervention and Methods
Law enforcements used tear gas, plastic bullets and water in protests.
Detainees were handcuffed from the back and subjected to physical violence.
The governorships of Urfa, Mardin and Diyarbakır, banned all kinds of actions and activities.
Co-mayors, human rights defenders, trade unionists and children were also among those detained.
Missing Persons and Violations
One refugee lost his life as a result of random gunfire by a civilian in Mersin.
At least 5 people, including 4 journalists, were injured by law enforcements.
Torture and ill-treatment were reported both during protests and in detention/prison processes.
Freedom of the Press and Expression
At least 8 journalists were detained; Nedim Oruç was suspended.
More than 40 news websites and social media accounts (MA, Jinnews, Yeni Yaşam etc.) were blocked.
Access to hundreds of individual social media accounts was banned.
Special Penalties and the Hair Braiding Case
• Due to the video of hair braiding 4 people, including 2 children, were detained, and one child was arrested.
• Sharing the same braiding content caused a nurse being suspended from duty.
• The PFDK (Turkish Football Federation Disciplinary Committee) fined Amedspor club, its president, and one of its players.
• At least 46 citizens from another country were deported.
TÜM-BEL-SEN report reveals that since the 2024 local elections, the administration of 85 municipalities has been changed through trustee appointments, dismissals, and political interventions.
The Union of Municipal and Local Government Workers in Turkey (TÜM-BEL SEN) released a report on the second anniversary of the March 31, 2024 local elections. The report focuses on political pressure against municipalities run by opposition parties.
According to the report, since the 2024 elections, government interventions in local administrations have become against labor and democracy. It states that local democracy in Turkey has effectively been suspended due to practices; such as appointing government trustees, removing elected officials, judicial actions and financial restrictions.
“Public will has been ignored”
The report highlights that a large portion of votes for opposition parties has been ignored. It tells that 44.4% of the votes for the CHP (Republican People’s Party, main opposition party in Turkey) and 27.7% for the DEM Party (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party) were effectively taken away.
Report also argues that these practices violate the constitution, especially the basic democratic right to vote and be elected of people. After Hakkari, similar interventions continued in many (most of them are Kurdish-majority) municipalities, including Esenyurt, Batman, Mardin, Halfeti, Dersim, Ovacık, Siirt, Van, Kağızman, and Şişli.
The report states that these trustee appointments have damaged local politics, which is a key space for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. Since the 2024 elections, public will has been ignored not only through trustee appointments but also through suspensions, political pressure to switch parties, and changes in municipal councils.
85 administration has been changed
According to the report, the administration of 85 municipalities has been changed since the elections, making millions of votes ineffective. It says that about 8.8 million votes (20.55% of all votes) have been disregarded.
The report also recalls that the election certificate of Van Metropolitan Municipality’s elected mayor, Abdullah Zeydan, was first mayor to be unlawfully attempted to be taken away. In total, elected mayors or co-mayors in 30 municipalities -including major cities like Istanbul, Van, Mardin, Adana, and Antalya- were removed from office. In 55 municipalities, political control changed through different methods, such as altering municipal council arithmetics.
The report notes that municipalities in Turkey depend heavily on the central government for funding. Due to limited resources, cities -where 94% of the population lives- receive only 12% of total public spending.
Finally, it states that since the elections, 1,342 public workers have been dismissed due to canceled contracts and around 3,200 workers have directly lost income.
Mehmet Edip Taşar, an ill prisoner whose release had been repeatedly postponed, passed away on March 24. Yıldız, a member of the ÖHD Prison Commission, stated: “Ill prisoners are being left to die.”
Mehmet Edip Taşar, a ill prisoner held at Marmara No. 5 L-Type Closed Prison since December 27, 2022, passed away on March 24 at the hospital where he was receiving treatment.
According to a report by bianet, the Istanbul Bar Association’s Human Rights Center held a press conference in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district regarding the condition of the ailing prisoner Mehmet Edip Taşar.
Rabia Gündoğmuş, a member of the Istanbul Bar Association’s Human Rights Center, who read the press statement, emphasized that Taşar had dropped to 40 kilograms and that his ability to see, walk, and speak had diminished.
According to a report by İlke TV, on February 26, the Istanbul Branch of the Lawyers’ Association for Freedom (ÖHD) stated that Taşar had been subjected to verbal and physical attacks by doctors during his transfer to the Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK).
The number of ill prisoners in 2025
According to the IHD’s 2025 Report on Ill Prisoners, there are at least 1,412 ill prisoners in Turkish prisons, including 161 women and 1,251 men. According to the report, 335 prisoners are in serious health condition.
Of these, 230 are unable to care for themselves, and 105 require assistance. Additionally, 188 prisoners require constant monitoring due to their illnesses.
The report noted that ill prisoners were not taken to the infirmary in a timely manner, were kept waiting for months for referrals to tertiary healthcare services, and were living in conditions of inadequate nutrition, heating, and hygiene.
In a statement following Taşar’s death, ÖHD noted that despite numerous legal appeals, the ATK had not issued a “cannot remain in prison” report, nor had it granted a stay of execution, despite his health condition.
Destina Yıldız as a member of the ÖHD Istanbul Branch Prison Commission, spoke to Niha+.
Yıldız stated that due to the ATK’s lack of objectiveness and independence, there were inconsistencies in many cases -particularly those involving ill prisoners- regarding the deaths of Mehmet Edip Taşar and all other ill prisoners.
Yıldız, explaining the process of how ATK reports are prepared, continued:
“Specifically regarding ill prisoners, Article 16, Paragraph 3 of Law No. 5275 requires the execution of a sentence may be postponed for individuals for whom a decision has been made based on a report, prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institution or by the medical boards of fully equipped hospitals designated by the Ministry of Justice and approved by the Forensic Medicine Institution, stating that ‘the illness poses a definite threat to life.’ Accordingly, to postpone the execution of a ill prisoner, one must first apply to the prosecutor’s office to arrange for the prisoner’s transfer to a hospital, then obtain a report from the relevant medical board, and either submit this report to the Forensic Medicine Institution for approval or directly transfer the ill prisoner to the Forensic Medicine Institution. Following the examination, the report must be prepared here and approved by the Forensic Medicine Institution, or after the report prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institution, the relevant chief prosecutor’s office must determine that the prisoner “does not pose a threat to public safety.”
“Forensic Medicine Institution reports are not actually being implemented“
Yıldız noted that, considering the circumstances of ill prisoners, reports from the ATK are not actually being implemented.
“Even in cases where the Forensic Medicine Institution issues a report stating that the prisoner ‘cannot remain in prison,’ the prisoner’s release is not carried out by the prosecutor’s offices or the courts. Ill prisoners are sentenced to death due to conflicting reports between the prosecutor’s office, the hospital, and the Forensic Medicine Institution.”
Yıldız explained that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has stated that the continued detention of individuals suffering from a terminal illness or whose health condition is no longer compatible with prison conditions is considered a violation of the prohibition against torture under Article 3.
“Under international and national regulations and judicial decisions, the state is responsible for the health and lives of prisoners in prisons. It is obligated to remove obstacles to prisoners’ rights to treatment and health, and to ensure their access to these rights.”
Ill prisoners are left to death
“Yet today in Turkey, ill prisoners are either not released at all or are not released until they are on the brink of death. Those ill prisoners who are released at this stage lose their lives shortly afterward due to delayed diagnoses and treatments. Ill prisoners are being condemned to death. Mehmet Edip Taşar, a ill prisoner who lost his life, is one such case. The fact that he was not released despite a report from the Forensic Medicine Institute stating he ‘cannot remain in prison,’ and was instead condemned to death, is the clearest indication of the state’s approach toward political prisoners and ill prisoners.”
