“I am following with concern the reports about disproportionate use of force by the police and widespread restrictions of the right to receive and impart information in Türkiye in the context of the protests of the last days. These have followed the arrest and detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, which have recently been condemned by the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly. I ask the Turkish authorities to uphold their human rights obligations with regard to respect for freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and media freedom”, said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty.
Hundreds of thousands of people have participated in protests in major cities across the country defying bans imposed by the authorities citing national security and public order concerns. There have been reports about riot police violently attacking peaceful protesters during demonstrations in several cities, particularly in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, including the use of pepper spray and percussion grenades, as well as water cannons. Numerous protestors reported injuries due to police violence and ill-treatment. According to the Ministry of Interior, over 1,100 people were detained and over 100 police officers were injured during demonstrations from 19-23 March. I stress that any acts of violence by some protesters do not justify excessive force by police. According to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, if used, force must be a last resort and must meet strict standards of necessity and proportionality.
“I note with concern reports about attacks against journalists and media workers while they were engaged in their journalistic duties and the arrests of journalists carried out today in raids across a number of cities in connection with their reporting about the protests. Journalists and media workers must not be obstructed while carrying out their professional duties.
I am also concerned that access to information online has been severely restricted with reported bandwidth restrictions on all main social media platforms, including numerous accounts having been blocked and/or made invisible in Türkiye due to the orders issued by the regulatory body. Moreover, several people were detained, put into house arrest, or subjected to judicial control measures in relation to their social media posts.
I call on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all those individuals who are detained for the legitimate exercise of their human rights. I also call on the authorities to fulfil their obligation to ensure that journalists can report on public assemblies freely and safely. I will continue to observe the situation closely and to raise these issues with the Turkish authorities.”