Rights Violations Against Arbitrarily Incarcerated Women Following the 2016 Failed Coup Attempt

This session examines the human rights violations of women in Turkey who have been detained or convicted for political reasons over the last 10 years. Focusing on critics of the government, Turkish citizens from all walks of life have been detained, imprisoned, and tortured. Participants of the Hizmet movement were the main group of people targeted by the government. The people targeted in these post-coup attempt reprisals include a significant number of women, who have faced arbitrary arrests, lengthy pretrial detentions, harassment, and physical violence. Many of the targeted women, however, had been involved in grassroots efforts to combat daily oppression and injustices, suggesting that the Erdogan administration has used the coup attempt to justify the repression of larger movements for change, particularly regarding women’s rights. Despite concerns expressed by the international community, women’s rights in Turkey have been under attack, especially in the last decade.