[UPDATED on 28 July 2016]
Human rights in Turkey are in peril following a bloody failed coup attempt on 15 July. The Turkish authorities’ reaction was swift and brutal, unleashing a crackdown of exceptional proportions that has continued after a state of emergency declared five days later.
Amnesty International has been on the ground in Istanbul and Ankara to document human rights violations amid these events. Here are some alarming statistics on the situation:
131 media outlets and publishing houses have been shut down including 3 news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers, 15 journals and 29 publishing houses.
At least 89 arrest warrants were issued for journalists. More than 40 have been detained
At least 260 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured amid the failed coup attempt in Istanbul and Ankara, according to government accounts.
More than 15,000 people have been detained since the failed coup.
More than 45,000 people have been suspended or removed from their jobs, including police, judges and prosecutors, and others.
More than 1,000 private schools and educational institutions have been closed and 138,000 school children will have to be transferred to state schools
48 hours: the length of time Turkish police in Ankara and Istanbul have reportedly been holding detainees in stress positions. Detainees have been denied food, water and medical treatment, and been verbally abused and threatened. Some have been subjected to severe beatings and torture, including rape.
3 months: the initial period of state of emergency imposed late on 20 July, granting the Prime Minister and his cabinet the power to rule by decree and bypass Parliament.
30 days: the pre-charge detention limit was increased from four to 30 days on 23 July, in the first decree issued under the state of emergency.
15: the Article of the Turkish Constitution which outlines that the authorities cannot “suspend” the European Convention on Human Rights. Even during a state of emergency, they can only derogate some rights.
0: the number of independent human rights monitors with access to detention facilities in Turkey after its National Human Rights Institution was abolished in April 2016.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
Tell President Erdogan that hard-won human rights must not be taken away.