Rome, 31 March 2025 – The Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) The Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) is deeply concerned about the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, which is clearly politically motivated in order to obstruct his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. and for the following widespread violations by Turkish authorities of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and access to information.
While, by International and Turkish law, any restrictions to the right to peaceful assembly must be prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate aim, and be necessary and proportionate to that aim, authorities systematically issued excessive restrictions on public gatherings and demonstrations, and on the information about them. When hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets, protesting the removal of İmamoğlu and of other democratically elected mayors from office and against the erosion of the right to political participation, authorities resorted to unwarranted and unlawful use of police force, causing numerous injuries; about 2000 people have been detained, including among else politicians, artists, and civil society representatives.
At the same time, authorities have intensified their attacks, intimidation, and pressure on independent media and journalists in an attempt to disseminate only government-approved content. Dozens of local journalists have been detained or physically assaulted by the police while covering the protests. Additionally, international media correspondents, such as BBC’s Mark Lowen, have faced undue restrictions and harassment. Lowen was detained on March 27 and later deported as a ‘threat to public order.’ Reporting on the events has been restricted by Türkiye’s Radio and Television Supreme Council, and heavy restrictions on protest-related content have also been imposed on social media and messaging apps, targeting journalists, social media companies, civil society organizations, and human rights activists.
Repression extends beyond the massive demonstrations. On March 21, a court ruled to remove the president and all board members of the Istanbul Bar Association, İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu, in retaliation for their statements calling for respect for justice and people’s rights. Police then arrested several lawyers who were protesting the decision outside the courthouse. Other lawyers were arrested in İzmir for defending demonstrators under arrest. On March 26, members of the board of the teachers’ union Eğitim-Sen were placed under house arrest pending trial for ‘inciting crime,’ merely because they had stopped working in solidarity with peaceful demonstrations by university students.
These events highlight a troubling escalation of attacks against political participation, freedom of expression, the rights of the accused, and the right to a fair trial in Türkiye. The country is suffering a serious erosion of democratic principles and the rule of law, pushing it to the brink of severe democratic backsliding. When it comes to fundamental human rights and freedoms, no government in any country should be exempt from respecting international law. This particularly applies to Türkiye, a member of the Council of Europe, which is bound not only by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights but also by the European Convention on Human Rights, including the legal obligation to execute judgments from the European Court of Human Rights. Turkish authorities have frequently failed to execute these judgments, and we call on the Council of Europe and its Member States to increase their engagement with Türkiye to ensure it adheres to its obligations.
FIDU calls on the Turkish authorities to immediately release the wrongfully detained politicians, journalists, and civil society activists, cease attacks on peaceful protesters and on media, and ensure that any allegations of unlawful use of force and other human rights violations (such as torture and other ill-treatment) by law enforcement officials are subject to an effective, impartial and timely investigation.