Opinions - Turkey

The Poverty of Turkish Opposition and Its Obsession with Elections

The Poverty of Turkish Opposition and Its Obsession with Elections

by Haşim Tekineş, published on 29 January 2025
Opposing authoritarian leaders is a formidable challenge, as they wield state resources to suppress dissent. Over two decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has methodically dismantled democratic institutions and consolidated authoritarian power. His power is unrivaled, yet not unchallenged.
Turkey’s Chosen Side in Sudan: Why It Matters?

Turkey’s Chosen Side in Sudan: Why It Matters?

January 17, 2025
Sudan’s ongoing civil war has devastated the nation, displacing 12 million people and resulting in a widespread humanitarian crisis. As in Libya in 2019, foreign powers, including Turkey, have intervened in Sudan to support their local allies with weapons and mercenaries, thereby prolonging the conflict and exacerbating the destruction.
Turkey's Bet on Syria: All in for HTS

Turkey's Bet on Syria: All in for HTS

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 5 January 2025
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faces significant challenges in governing Syria's deeply fractured society. Several reports of arbitrary killings of Alawites and skirmishes between different sects show that the Syrian government is in the early phases of power consolidation. Despite the many uncertainties clouding Syria's future, the Turkish government is fully committing its support to the country’s new government.
Shifting Geopolitics of Turkey-Israel Relations After Assad

Shifting Geopolitics of Turkey-Israel Relations After Assad

by Haşim Tekineş, published on 20 December 2024
The fall of the Assad regime marks a critical juncture in regional geopolitics, fundamentally altering the dynamics between Turkey and Israel. Historically, their relationship has oscillated between pragmatic alliances and ideological rifts. Yet, with their common enemy removed, the regional balance of power has shifted, creating new challenges and testing the resilience of their already fragile ties.
Turkey’s Prospects in Syria Depend on Peace

Turkey’s Prospects in Syria Depend on Peace

by Enes Esen, published on 12 December 2024
Both Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the YPG are classified as terrorist organizations by Turkey, yet these two groups have consolidated power across the Syrian landscape in the last couple of weeks. Nonetheless, the joy has been palpable both among Turkey's decision-makers and within the broader public, following the triumph of the HTS.
Ankara Eyes Opportunities Amid Syria’s Turmoil

Ankara Eyes Opportunities Amid Syria’s Turmoil

by Enes Esen, published on 1 December 2024
Syrian rebel forces launched their largest offensive against the Assad government in years on Wednesday, capturing Aleppo and advancing south toward Hama. While it is clear that Ankara had prior knowledge of the Syrian opposition’s offensive, dubbed "Stopping the Aggression," it appears to have underestimated the scale and rapidity of the regime’s collapse in Aleppo.

Reports - Turkey

TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

by instituDE, published on 23 October 2024
'A gift from God' was one of Erdoğan's first descriptions related to coup attempt in July 15. At first no one realized that God's gift meant a chaotic environment in which he needed to declare a national emergency with no checks and balances and then transform Türkiye’s parliamentary democracy into an executive presidency.
Judicial Corruption in Türkiye

Judicial Corruption in Türkiye

by instituDE and Arrested Lawyers, published on October 2024
This submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) highlights severe issues undermining the integrity of Türkiye's judiciary, particularly focusing on rampant judicial corruption and impunity as well as human rights abuses which they facilitate. Based on the most recent incidents of corruption concerning members of the judiciary who serve in courts in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, this report seeks to examine the high-level corruption within the judiciary and the Turkish government’s failure or even willful ignorance in addressing it.
TURKEY'S GROWING ROLE IN GLOBAL COCAINE TRAFFICKING

TURKEY'S GROWING ROLE IN GLOBAL COCAINE TRAFFICKING

by Dr. İmdat Öner, Halil Çavuş, Ömer Güler and Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 17 September 2024
This report focuses on Turkey's prominence as an emerging market for cocaine trafficking and organized crime in the last decade. Cocaine production in Latin America has dramatically increased since 2013, and Turkey’s status as an emerging market has attracted the attention of Latin American government officials on the front lines of the cocaine trade.
Weaponizing Financial Systems Erdoğan's Transnational Repression to Muzzle Dissidents Abroad

Weaponizing Financial Systems Erdoğan's Transnational Repression to Muzzle Dissidents Abroad

by Dr. Yasir Gökçe, Mayra Russo and Sara Kezia Heinonen, published on 29 August 2024
This report sets out to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tactics employed by the Erdoğan administration to achieve repressive goals abroad and the vulnerabilities and how they are enabled by the AML and CFT regulation in place.
ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES BY THE ERDOGAN GOVERNMENT

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES BY THE ERDOGAN GOVERNMENT

by instituDE, published in June 2024
This submission highlights the ongoing systematic actions and omissions by Turkish authorities against the so-called members of the Gulen Group, framed as crimes against humanity. It demonstrates the violations of recommendations that even Türkiye has supported.
UNVEILING THE BRUTAL REALITY: SYSTEMATIC TORTURE OF FORMER DIPLOMATS

UNVEILING THE BRUTAL REALITY: SYSTEMATIC TORTURE OF FORMER DIPLOMATS

by instituDE, published on May 2024
This report offers an update to the United Nations Committee against Torture (the Committee) regarding the obstacles to implementing the Convention against Torture (the Convention) in Turkey. As a coalition formed by a collective of former Turkish diplomats, our focus is on the systematic torture faced by former diplomats detained at Ankara Police Headquarters. We delve into the Turkish context and present insights from our organization.

Videos - Turkey

AİHM'den Yunanistan Puschbacklerine İhlal Kararı | Yasak Başvurusu Büyük Dairede

January 8, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş and Hakan Kaplankaya, published on 8 January 2025
Bu yayınımızda insan hakları uzmanı Hakan Kaplankaya ve instituDE analisti Haşim Tekineş AİHM'in Yunanistan'ın Türkiye'ye geri ittiği sığınmacılar hakkında verdiği yeni ihlal kararını, Yasak başvurusunun Büyük Daire'ye sevkedilmesini ele aldılar.

PERSECUTORY CONFISCATION AMOUNTING TO CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN TURKEY

December 24, 2023
by Yasir Gökçe, published on 24 December 2023
instituDE Director Dr. Yasir Gokce eloborated on the widespread and systematic nature of property rights violations in Turkey as a part of CrimesAgainstHumanity targeting Gülen Movement, with reference to the recent instituDE report thereon.