Türkiye ranked 117th among 142 countries in the Rule of Law Index of 20233. This is a clear indication of the state of the judiciary’s respect for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Freedom House has placed Türkiye in the league of ‘Not Free’ countries for seven consecutive years since 2016, due to the lack of an independent judiciary and growing threats to all fundamental freedoms.
Following the July 2016 coup attempt, the country has experienced a substantial number of detentions, including over 300 journalists, party co-chairs, and elected mayors associated with the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP). Thousands of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, including key figures like the head of the dissolved association of judges (YARSAV) and the president of the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) face terrorism-related charges.
The report in which we elaborated the root causes and consequences of these issues is available here