ASSEDEL is pleased to inform that it submitted a detailed report for the considerations of the Committee Against Torture during the examination of the State party report of Türkiye in the framework of the 80th session of the Committee which will take place between 8 July and 26 July 2024.
In this report, ASSEDEL expressed its concerns regarding three main issues.
First, ASSEDEL addressed the issue of enforced disappearances carried out within Türkiye since 15 July 2016, and the systematic practice of state-sponsored extraterritorial abductions and forcible return of Turkish nationals from multiple States to Türkiye.
Secondly, the report delved into the systemic torture in prisons, with a particular focus on political prisoners which can manifest in various forms: physical violence and denial of access to medicine or appropriate conditions leading to death in certain instances, arbitrary solitary confinement without justification or legal basis, and denial of the right to conditional release for political prisoners, only.
Finally, the report discussed the erosion of judicial independence in Türkiye, which impedes victims of torture from accessing their right to effective judicial remedy and violations Article 12 and 14 of the CAT by not ensuring a prompt and impartial investigation of the incidents of torture and by not providing in its legal system an opportunity to obtain redress for the victims.
You can find the full version of the report here.
The report has been placed into the UN Treaty Body Database soon after its submission and available here.