Turkey committed widespread human rights violations in 2024, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, media censorship and transnational repression, according to a new US government report.
The Türkiye (Turkey) 2024 Human Rights Report, published by the United States Department of State as part of its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, found credible evidence of serious abuses by Turkish authorities against journalists, political opponents, refugees and members of the faith- based Gülen movement.
The report’s section on “Life” said security forces were implicated in unlawful killings, citing a Human Rights Watch account that Turkish border guards beat eight Syrians at the frontier in March 2023, killing a boy and a man, with no case progress reported by October. It also noted that the government did not disclose any efforts to investigate or prosecute personnel for civilian deaths tied to counterterrorism operations and reported a suspected Turkish drone strike in northern Syria that hit a vehicle marked “Press,” killing two journalists in December.
Turkish-supported armed groups in northern Syria were accused of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, looting and recruiting child soldiers. Turkey remained on the US list of governments supporting armed groups that recruit child soldiers. The report also cited UN findings that Turkish officials were present at some detention sites where torture occurred.
The report also found severe curbs on free expression and the press. Prosecutors relied on broad “insulting the president” and “disseminating false information” laws to arrest critics and deter speech, and regulators could order content removal or block entire sites within hours. Authorities blocked more than 953,000 domains, 260,000 URLs and 67,100 posts on X, while also restricting access to VPNs and cloud services.
A woman identified as Dilruba in the western city of Izmir was arrested after criticizing a nine-day Instagram ban in a street interview and jailed on “insulting president” and “provoking hatred” charges. The state broadcast regulator canceled Açık Radyo’s license after a guest used the phrase “Armenian genocide.” The report also described police obstruction and the detention of journalists covering protests in Van after the elected mayor was blocked from taking office.
The State Department noted widespread use of prolonged pretrial detention, especially in politically sensitive cases, with periods exceeding the legal limits. Former Diyarbakır co-mayor Gültan Kışanak spent seven years in pretrial detention before her release, a term the European Court of Human Rights ruled violated her rights. As of September, pretrial detainees accounted for 52,000 people, or 15 percent of prisoners. Prisons saw tens of thousands of reported violations, including torture, arbitrary restrictions and denial of parole to political prisoners.
Torture and ill-treatment persisted, particularly against alleged members of the Gülen movement. The State Department cited accounts from six UN special rapporteurs and the chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances that said children allegedly affiliated with the movement were subjected to “physical torture” and threatened with beatings severe enough to “make [them] vomit blood.” Rights groups also reported broader mistreatment of detainees with alleged Gülen ties, including beatings and abuse at both official and unofficial detention sites.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations revealed in 2013 implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan and some members of his family and inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following the abortive putsch in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
The State Department said Turkish intelligence services were credibly accused of kidnapping alleged movement members abroad and returning them to Turkey to face prosecution. In October Kenyan authorities confirmed they had deported four registered Turkish refugees, all accused of Gülen links, at Ankara’s request despite their UN protected status.
The report also says Ankara applied bilateral pressure on multiple governments to secure renditions without full legal procedures, often framing the cases as counterterrorism cooperation.
According to the report, Turkey sought to use INTERPOL’s Red-Notice system to pursue suspected movement members abroad. It also used INTERPOL’s database of lost or stolen passports to block travel for exiled Gülen supporters, leaving some stranded or unable to cross borders. Relatives of those who fled reported threats and intimidation aimed at forcing them to reveal locations or persuade exiles to return.
Within Turkey, authorities sometimes denied passports to individuals under investigation, declaring them “unfit” for travel even before a court verdict.
The Turkish government maintained cooperation with the UN refugee agency but intensified crackdowns on undocumented migrants, increasing deportations and police operations. NGOs alleged due process violations, mistreatment in removal centers and pressure for “voluntary” returns to unsafe areas in Syria.
The Jewish community, estimated at up to 16,000 people, faced continued antisemitism in the media and online platforms, as well as public harassment, with tensions heightened after the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Workers’ rights were curtailed by limits on union organizing, collective bargaining and strikes. The minimum wage remained below the poverty line, and unsafe conditions persisted in sectors like mining and construction. At least 878 workers died on the job in the first half of the year, including 66 children. Labor law enforcement was inconsistent.
The State Department’s congressionally mandated Country Reports on Human Rights Practices draws on diplomatic reporting, international monitoring and nongovernmental sources to assess rights in each nation. The reports, issued since 1977, are meant to inform US foreign policy and support accountability efforts.
*This report has been taken from the Stockholm Center for Freedom.
