Türkiye has experienced sustained pressure on democratic institutions, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in recent years. Increasing restrictions on civil and political rights, pressure on independent media, limitations on public participation, and the use of legal and administrative measures against activists and civil society organisations have contributed to a shrinking civic space.
Against this backdrop, the event organised by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and PEN Norway, will bring together perspectives from Türkiye and Norway to discuss the current state of democracy and human rights in Türkiye, as well as the challenges facing civil society organisations working to defend fundamental rights.
The first discussion will focus recent developments affecting democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in Türkiye, including restrictions on dissent, public participation and independent institutions, as well as Türkiye’s international human rights obligations.
The second discussion will focus on the challenges facing civil society, with perspectives from environmental, women’s rights and LGBTIQ+ rights organisations on pressures on civic space, as well as resilience, solidarity and opportunities for engagement.
The event will conclude with a conversation on Norway’s approach to developments in Türkiye and its role in supporting human rights, democratic governance and civil society.
To explore these topics, we invited NHC’s partner organisations from Türkiye working on environmental rights, women’s rights, and LGBTIQ+ rights: Armaş Foundation, Uçan Süpürge (Flying Broom) Women’s Communication and Research Association and University Queer Research and LGBTI+ Solidarity Association (Unikuir).
Program:
16:00 Coffee and registration
16:30 Welcome – Norwegian PEN
16:35 The state of democracy and human rights in Türkiye
A conversation on recent developments affecting democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Türkiye, followed by Q&A.
Facilitated by Gunnar M. Ekelove-Slydal with Dr. Mine Yıldırım from (NHC) and Ceren Uysal (PEN Norway).
17:15 Civil society’s challenges and opportunities amid democratic backsliding
A discussion with representatives of civil society working on environmental rights, gender equality and women’s rights, and LGBTIQ+ rights, followed by Q&A.
Facilitated by Mina Skouen with Gonca Doğan (Armaş), Sinem Sefa Akay (Flying Broom) and Özgür Gür (Üniküir).
18:05 Coffee break
18:15 Conversation on Norway’s role and response
A conversation with a Norwegian political representative on Norway’s response to developments in Türkiye and its role in supporting human rights, democratic governance and civic space.
19:00 End
Participants:
Dr. Mine Yıldırım is Senior Advisor on Türkiye at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and leads NHC’s civil society support programmes in Türkiye and Freedom of Belief Initiative. Her expertise encompasses freedom of religion or belief, minority rights, gender and civil society in Türkiye, as well as grant-making, capacity-building and national and international human rights advocacy.
Mine served on the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief from 2019 to 2022 and was a co-recipient of the Stefanus Prize in 2015 in recognition of her work on religious freedom in Türkiye. She holds a doctorate from Åbo Akademi University, an MA in Human Rights and Civil Liberties from the University of Leicester, and a BA in International Relations from Marmara University. She is the author of The Collective Dimension of Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Case of Türkiye (Routledge, 2017).
Şerife Ceren Uysal is a human rights lawyer and independent human rights consultant based in Vienna, working internationally on human rights, justice and the rule of law. She is International Legal Advisor at PEN Norway, Co-Secretary General of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), and a Bureau Member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL). She has served on the Executive Board of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD) since 2015.
Ceren focuses on fair trial rights, freedom of expression, politically motivated proceedings, and the protection of lawyers and human rights defenders. She was awarded the Dr. Georg Lebiszczak Prize for Freedom of Speech in Austria in 2016.
Gonca Doğan is Director of Armaş Foundation, where she leads the organisation’s strategy and operations across ecology, communication and ethics. She has close to a decade of experience in civil society and humanitarian work, with a focus on programme management, coordination and institutional development.
Gonca is also a co-founder of LINK (Local Impact through Network & Know-how), an initiative supporting local civil society and social economy actors through collective learning and expertise. Her previous experience includes work with Support to Life, Welthungerhilfe and Japan Emergency NGO. Her work is guided by a strong commitment to localisation and the capacity of local actors to lead their own work. She graduated in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University.
Özgür Gür is co-founder and Executive Director of ÜniKuir Association, a youth-led LGBTIQ+ organisation working for safer, freer and more equal universities in Türkiye. Since 2020, he has worked on advocacy, community-building, media, monitoring and organisational sustainability, contributing to ÜniKuir’s development as a key actor supporting LGBTIQ+ youth and student groups across Türkiye.
He also serves on the boards of the Rainbow Coalition and ILGA-Europe, where he is Secretary General. His work focuses on youth leadership, campus organising, freedom of association, democratic participation and strengthening LGBTIQ+ civil society amid increasing authoritarian and anti-gender pressures.
He studied at Middle East Technical University, where he was active in student and LGBTIQ+ organising and later became the university’s last elected Student Council President.
Sinem Sefa Akay is a rights defender with over 20 years of experience working on human and children’s rights, gender equality, social policy and civil society. She has worked with UNICEF Türkiye, European Union technical support projects and various civil society organisations.
Sinem is a member of the Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association (Uçan Süpürge) and Roots & Shoots Türkiye (Kökler ve Filizler Derneği). She focuses on advancing rights, equality and solidarity across communities and promoting the rights of all and the wider living and non-living environment. She holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Nottingham and a BA in International Relations from Bilkent University.
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