Türkiye

Large parts of Türkiye are located on the Anatolian plateau. The country also has a long coastline in both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The Bosporus Strait is one of the world’s most trafficked, with queues of ships going to the Black Sea or returning to the Mediterranean. 3% of Türkiye’s territory is in Europe, the rest in Asia. Today the population is around 85 million.

The Turkish state was established in 1923 on the ruins of one of the greatest empires of world history, the Ottoman Empire. The founding father, Mustafa Kemal, introduced secular rule with little respect for civil and political rights. From the 1950s, there was gradual democratisation, but respect for freedoms of expression, assembly, and religion remained weak.

Negotiations on EU membership led to reforms in the early 2000s. Since 2002, under the reign of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the judiciary, media and civil society have been increasingly subjected to political control. This has been the case, especially after 2013, the response to the Gezi incidents, the coup attempt in 2016, and the ensuing crackdown on the Gulenist movement and policies that had an increasingly detrimental effect on the civic space in the country. In Türkiye today, conflicts related to the Kurdish minority still lead to substantial human losses.

* Freedom Index

Türkiye today

In a referendum on 16 April 2017, a narrow majority said yes to introducing presidential rule, giving the president executive power as head of government. The main changes were that the president could be a party member, appoint both Supreme Court judges and government ministers, rule through presidential decrees, and declare a state of emergency. The position of Prime Minister was abolished, and the President was elected in direct election for five years at a time.

Critics point to the concentration of power and weakening of the independence or role of institutions checking the President, including the parliament and the judiciary.

In the latest local elections throughout the country’s 81 provinces on 31 March 2024, the opposition led by the social democrat CHP party in the big cities, including in some cities in the Southeast of the country. The elections took place ten months after the 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections, where the National Alliance opposition coalition was narrowly defeated by President Erdoğan’s governing People’s Alliance, led by the AK Party.

Human Rights

Despite its failure to execute several high-profile European Court of Human Rights judgments, Türkiye remains a member of the Council of Europe and other international organisations. It’s also a member of NATO and plays an important role as a controller of sea transport through the Bosporus Strait (based on the Montreux Convention), including transport from Russia and Ukraine. Türkiye does not take part in Western sanctions because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a party to core human rights treaties within the framework of the United Nations and Council of Europe, Türkiye has undertaken significant human rights obligations.  The country has not ratified the Rome Statute and thus has not accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

For many years, being a candidate to join the European Union was a popular prospect for Türkiye. However, the accession process remains non-active. A statement of cooperation was signed in 2016, where the EU and Türkiye agreed on measures to stop the refugee crisis. In exchange, Türkiye would receive support to improve the humanitarian situation for refugees in the country, and Turkish nationals would be granted visa-free travel to Europe. The latter was never realised, and the agreement had limited effect.

NHC and Türkiye

The NHC has been involved in human rights work in Türkiye since the 1980s, including work against torture, promotion of women’s rights, strengthening political rights (including by election observation), support of minority rights, and freedom of religion or belief. We have also participated in debates on prosecuting crimes and compensation to victims in the conflicts in Southeast Türkiye during the 1980s and 1990s.

Since 2013, the NHC has supported the Freedom of Belief Initiative to monitor and advocate for the protection of freedom of religion or belief for all in Türkiye. The project has a website where reports and statements are published in Turkish and English. It has been widely recognised as a unique source of research-based knowledge of freedom of religion or belief issues in the country. It is used by politicians, civil society, and academics to advance respect for this fundamental human right.

Civil Society

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee seeks to strengthen the work of civil society organisations in Türkiye to enhance Türkiye’s compliance with international human rights standards. Currently, the NHC is running the Advocates for Change: Civil Society Support for Türkiye grant program. The program aims to empower Türkiye’s civil society to promote human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law through project funding and to strengthen the capacity of grantees through training, peer learning and coaching. This program builds on NHC’s work on the Eurasia Civil Society Program, through which civil society organisations were supported throughout 2021-22.

The NHC collaborates with local organisations and institutions, including the Human Rights Foundation of Türkiye and the Association for Monitoring Equal Rights. Advocacy at the United Nations, Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to support international oversight for implementing human rights obligations that Türkiye has undertaken is one of the priorities of NHC’s work.

History

The Ottoman Empire was on the losing side during the First World War. The defeat led to the collapse of the state apparatus and the loss of territories. During this period, many Muslim refugees came to the area that today constitutes Türkiye. Armenians, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and other minorities were victims of persecution.

‘The Armenian genocide’ is often used to designate the mass deportations and assassinations of Armenians under the Young Turks regime from 1915 to 1920. There are still controversies to whether ‘genocide’ is an accurate term for these killings. Recent Turkish research conducted under the auspices of historian Taner Akcam indicates that there was indeed a plan in the Young Turk’s leadership at the time to massacre Armenians.

Mustafa Kemal (who received the surname Atatürk in 1934) abolished the sultanate in 1922. He “Europeanised” the country with reforms in justice, administration, the alphabet, and architecture. Türkiye became a member of the Council of Europe in 1950 and of NATO in 1952. In 1987, the state applied for membership in the EU, but negotiations did not start until 2005. Several problem areas make negotiations difficult, including the Kurdish problem, human rights issues, and the Cyprus dispute.

Timeline

• 1453: Sultan Mehmed II conquers Constantinople (Istanbul) and consolidates the Ottoman Empire
• 1918-1920: Division of the losing Ottoman Empire followed by the Turkish National Movement’s victory in the Independence War
• 1923: The National Assembly declares Türkiye as a Republic and Mustafa Kemal as President
• 1928: Islam abolished as state religion; Türkiye becomes a secular state
• 1950: First free election won by an opposition party (the Democratic Party). Member of the Council of Europe. Member of NATO in 1952.
• 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997: Military coups or military solid intervention in politics
• 2002: The Islamic-based Justice and Development Party (AK Party) wins the general elections
• 2004: The EU decides to start negotiations on membership
• 2011: Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the general elections for the third time and gradually became Türkiye’s strong man.
• 2015: The Pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) was elected to Parliament for the first time. Ceasefire with the Kurdish Labour Party (PKK) ends; escalation of conflict
• 2016: Failed coup attempt followed by extensive layoffs and imprisonment of persons suspected of having participated or supported the coup attempt; Gülen supporters accused of standing behind
• 2017: Narrow win for proposals to introduce presidential rule in a referendum
• 2018: Erdogan wins presidential elections; starts reorganising state apparatus for presidential rule
• 2023: Erdogan wins presidential elections narrowly despite economic crisis and a more united opposition than during previous elections
• 2024: In local elections, the opposition wins in the big cities, including in some cities in the Southeast of the country