UN Experts raise alarm over rights defenders in Türkiye

UN Special Rapporteurs have raised concerns with the Turkish government over the prosecution, detention, alleged ill-treatment and police violence targeting human rights defenders and lawyers, including Hatice Onaran, Suna Bilgin, Osman Süzen, Mehmet Acettin, Tuğba Kahraman, İsmail Boyraz and Sabri Güngen.

United Nations human rights experts have sent a joint communication to the Government of Türkiye concerning allegations of judicial harassment, criminalisation, ill-treatment and police violence against human rights defenders, members of the Human Rights Association, İHD, and lawyers working on human rights cases.

The communication, dated 23 February 2026, concerns the cases of Hatice Onaran, Suna Bilgin, Osman Süzen, Mehmet Acettin, Tuğba Kahraman, İsmail Boyraz and Sabri Güngen. It was sent by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.

The UN experts stated that the measures taken against these individuals appear to be linked to their legitimate human rights work, legal practice, participation in peaceful assemblies and exercise of freedom of association. If confirmed, the experts warned, these measures may amount to violations of Türkiye’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the rights to liberty and security, fair trial, peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

Hatice Onaran and the use of counter-terrorism financing law

The communication first addresses the case of Hatice Onaran, a member of İHD involved in defending prisoners’ rights. According to the UN experts, Onaran was prosecuted under Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism after depositing small sums of money to support the basic needs of ill and financially vulnerable prisoners.

On 20 February 2024, the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court sentenced Onaran to four years and two months in prison. The ruling was upheld on appeal on 2 October 2024. The UN experts stressed that the money transfers had been made under prison regulations and under the supervision of the prison administration. They underlined that small-scale humanitarian support provided in such circumstances should not be treated as terrorist financing under international standards.

The communication also highlights Onaran’s health condition. The experts noted that she is 60 years old and has been medically assessed as 79 percent disabled. They further stated that her health had deteriorated in prison and that she had applied for the suspension of her sentence on medical grounds, without receiving a response. The published note also states that Onaran was released on medical grounds for a period of six months on 14 February 2026.

The UN experts recalled that states are responsible for the life and physical integrity of persons deprived of liberty and that access to adequate medical care in detention is a state obligation under international standards, including the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Prison sentence against lawyer Suna Bilgin

The communication also addresses the case of Suna Bilgin, a lawyer, board member of the İHD Tunceli branch and secretary general of the Tunceli Bar Association. Bilgin has faced charges including “membership in an armed terrorist organisation” and “terrorist organisation propaganda” in connection with her legal work, her defence of detained individuals, her participation in İHD statements, peaceful demonstrations and commemorative events.

Bilgin was sentenced in absentia in 2018 by the Tunceli Heavy Penal Court to six years and three months in prison. The judgment was overturned on procedural grounds in 2020 and a retrial was initiated. After voluntarily returning to Türkiye from Switzerland, Bilgin appeared before the court on 17 November 2025 and rejected the charges against her.

According to the communication, Bilgin was arrested in Istanbul on 2 December 2025. Upon arrival at the detention facility, she was reportedly subjected to a strip search and held in an overcrowded ward. On 17 December 2025, she was convicted of “membership in an armed terrorist organisation” and sentenced to six years and three months in prison. She was then transferred to Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison.

The UN experts expressed concern that the proceedings against Bilgin may be linked to her legal work and participation in peaceful assemblies, raising serious concerns regarding freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Proceedings against Osman Süzen

The communication also refers to the case of lawyer Osman Süzen, a former İHD executive and former chair of the İHD Adıyaman branch. Süzen was charged with membership in an armed terrorist organisation in connection with his work for İHD, his professional duties as a lawyer, his public meetings with Kurdish politicians during the peace process, and his participation in civil society events in Adıyaman in 2014.

The charges were reportedly based on witness statements and police reports, some of which were later retracted. On 29 January 2026, the Adıyaman 2nd Heavy Penal Court acquitted Süzen on the grounds that it had not been established that he had committed the alleged offence.

House arrest of Tuğba Kahraman and Mehmet Acettin

The UN experts also raised concerns over the detention of İHD executives Tuğba Kahraman and Mehmet Acettin. Both were arrested at their homes on 3 February 2026. The case file was placed under a confidentiality order and access to lawyers was restricted for 24 hours.

The arrests took place as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau. According to the communication, nearly 100 people, including political party co-chairs, trade union representatives, lawyers and journalists, were detained as part of the same investigation.

Kahraman was charged with “membership of an armed terrorist organisation”, while Acettin was charged with both “membership of an armed terrorist organisation” and “terrorist organisation propaganda”. The communication states that no concrete evidence was presented against Kahraman. The evidence cited against Acettin reportedly included his İHD activities, press statements on prisoners’ rights, participation in weekly demonstrations concerning the fate of forcibly disappeared persons, and photographs of him entering and leaving the İHD Istanbul office.

Kahraman and Acettin were placed under house arrest. The investigation is ongoing and no indictment has yet been issued.

Case against İsmail Boyraz under the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations

The communication also refers to the case of İsmail Boyraz, an İHD executive board member. Boyraz attended a trade union assembly in front of the Ministry of Education in Ankara on 29 May 2024 to protest a bill concerning the base salary of private sector teachers.

According to the UN experts, law enforcement officials intervened in the assembly. When Boyraz objected to the alleged ill-treatment of demonstrators, around five police officers reportedly dragged him to a police van, twisting his arms. Boyraz and approximately 11 other demonstrators were held in police custody for more than four hours before being released.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office later filed charges against 12 people, including Boyraz, under Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. Boyraz is not detained and is not subject to judicial control measures.

Alleged attacks against lawyer Sabri Güngen

The communication also details allegations concerning human rights lawyer Sabri Güngen, registered with the Şanlıurfa Bar Association and the Freiburg Bar Association in Germany.

In the first incident, Güngen was allegedly attacked by police officers inside Siverek Courthouse on 29 March 2025 while photographing his client, who showed signs of ill-treatment in police custody. According to the communication, Güngen was insulted, kicked and punched by police officers. Medical reports documented bruising to his right eye and injuries to his left leg. Despite this, the prosecutor closed the case, stating that no assault had taken place.

In a second incident, on 7 November 2025, Güngen went to Siverek Courthouse to file a complaint concerning a missing child. He was allegedly prevented from doing so by a prosecutor and then removed from the courthouse by gendarmerie officers. Güngen has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, while the Şanlıurfa Bar Association has filed a complaint with the Council of Judges and Prosecutors against the prosecutor involved.

UN experts: Counter-terrorism laws must not be misused against human rights defenders

In their communication, the UN experts expressed concern over the use of Türkiye’s counter-terrorism framework against human rights defenders, lawyers and civil society actors.

They noted that vague and overly broad provisions in the Anti-Terror Law and the Turkish Penal Code create a significant risk of arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and liberty. The experts stressed that counter-terrorism legislation must not be used to criminalise the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights.

The communication also recalls the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, emphasizing that lawyers must not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of performing their professional duties. States are required to ensure that lawyers can carry out their work without intimidation, harassment, obstruction or improper interference.

The experts further noted that six of the seven human rights defenders mentioned in the communication are members of İHD. They warned that targeting members of an association for their human rights work affects not only the individuals concerned, but also the organisation’s ability to operate and the broader exercise of freedom of association.

The UN experts requested the Turkish government to provide information on the allegations, the measures taken to ensure Hatice Onaran’s access to medical care, the steps taken to protect lawyers from harassment and interference, and any measures adopted to bring Türkiye’s counter-terrorism legislation into compliance with international human rights standards.

Source: srdefenders.org