Human Rights Watch 17 July 2013 Police fired teargas canisters directly at protesters during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, turning them into dangerous projectiles that caused serious injuries, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has documented 10 cases in which people were seriously injured, including loss of an eye, when police fired teargas canisters directly at them, often at close range. The scale and consistency of accounts of similar injuries recorded by local groups points to a clear pattern of misuse of teargas by Turkey’s police force. Read full article here.

International Federation for Human Rights 12 July 2013 Authorities failing to prosecute crimes against protesters. Following the death of a fifth protester, the FIDH deplores the response to the demonstrations that have been held throughout Turkey since 28 May. Rather than promoting reconciliation and ensuring that Turkey’s citizens are protected and freedom of speech respected, the authorities are engaging in a veritable “witch hunt” against protesters, observers and the assistance given to peaceful demonstrators, and fail to adopt a dissuasive behaviour notably against members of the public force notably following their patently disproportionately use of force. Read full report here.

UK Home Office 7 May 2013 This document provides UK Border Agency (UKBA) case workers with guidance on the nature and handling of the most common types of claims received from nationals/residents of Turkey, including whether claims are or are not likely to justify the granting of asylum, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave. Case workers must refer to the relevant Asylum Instructions for further details of the policy on these areas. Read full notes here.

Human Rights Watch 31 January 2013 Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government maintained economic growth in 2012 despite a slowdown, and a strong focus on developing a leading regional role, but failed to take convincing steps to address the country’s worsening domestic human rights record and democratic deficit. Prosecutors and courts continued to use terrorism laws to prosecute and prolong incarceration of thousands of Kurdish political activists, human rights defenders, students, journalists, and trade unionists. Free speech and media remained restricted, and there were ongoing serious violations of fair trial rights. Read full report here.

Amnesty International Annual Report 2012: the state of the world’s human rights Turkey Published on 24 May 2012 Promised constitutional and other legal reforms did not occur. Instead, the right to freedom of expression was threatened and protesters faced increased police violence. Thousands of prosecutions brought under flawed anti-terrorism laws routinely failed fair trial standards. Bomb attacks claimed the lives of civilians. No progress was made in recognizing the right to conscientious objection or in protecting the rights of children in the judicial system. The rights of refugees and asylum-seekers and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remained unsecured in Read the full article…