General Country of Origin Information Report Turkey March 2021 Page 1 of 86 General Country of Origin Information Report | March 2021 Publication details City The Hague Assembled by Country of Origin Information Reports Section (DAF/AB) Disclaimer: The Dutch version of this report is leading. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands cannot be held accountable for misinterpretations based on the English version of the report. Page 2 of 86 General Country of Origin Information Report | March 2021 Table of contents Publication details ............................................................................................2 Table of contents .............................................................................................3 Introduction ....................................................................................................6 1 Country information .................................................................................... 9 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................9 1.1.1 Political context ...............................................................................................9 1.1.2 Presidential decrees and student protest ............................................................9 1.1.3 Groups that attract negative attention.............................................................. 10 1.1.4 Economic downturn and the corona pandemic ................................................... 11 1.2 Security situation .......................................................................................... 12 1.2.1 PKK ............................................................................................................. 12 1.2.2 DHKP/C ........................................................................................................ 13 1.2.3 ISIS ............................................................................................................. 13 2 Identity, documents and nationality .......................................................... 15 2.1 Invalidated passports ..................................................................................... 15 2.2 E-devlet ....................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Extradition requests ....................................................................................... 17 3 Human Rights ............................................................................................ 18 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 18 3.2 Laws and regulations ..................................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Early Release Law .......................................................................................... 18 3.2.2 New law on neighbourhood guards .................................................................. 19 3.2.3 Legislation on legal profession amended ........................................................... 20 3.2.4 Social media legislation amended .................................................................... 21 3.2.5 Call for amendment to legislation concerning the medical association ................... 22 3.2.6 New anti-terror law ........................................................................................ 23 3.3 Freedom of speech and media freedom ............................................................ 23 3.4 Freedom of movement ................................................................................... 27 3.5 Legal process ................................................................................................ 28 3.5.1 Legal profession under pressure ...................................................................... 28 3.5.2 Constitutional Court under pressure ................................................................. 29 3.5.3 The Demirtaş case ......................................................................................... 30 3.5.4 The Kavala case ............................................................................................ 30 3.5.5 The Büyükada case ........................................................................................ 31 3.5.6 Access to evidence ........................................................................................ 31 3.5.7 UYAP ........................................................................................................... 32 3.6 Arrests, custody and detention ........................................................................ 33 3.7 Ill-treatment and torture ................................................................................ 34 3.8 Enforced disappearances ................................................................................ 35 4 Gülenists ................................................................................................... 37 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 37 4.2 Arrests and dismissals of (alleged) Gülenists ..................................................... 37 4.3 Involvement in the Gülen movement ............................................................... 38 4.4 Gülenists and the judicial process .................................................................... 39 4.5 Gülenists abroad ........................................................................................... 42 Page 3 of 86 4.6 The social position of (alleged) Gülenists .......................................................... 43 4.7 The position of relatives of (alleged) Gülenists .................................................. 44 5 Ethnic minority groups .............................................................................. 46 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 46 5.2 Kurds ........................................................................................................... 46 5.2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 46 5.2.2 Discrimination against Kurds ........................................................................... 46 5.2.3 Reconstruction and displaced persons in Southeastern Turkey ............................ 48 5.3 HDP ............................................................................................................. 49 5.3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 49 5.3.2 Restriction of the HDP’s scope ......................................................................... 49 5.3.3 Treatment of HDP members and their relatives ................................................. 51 5.4 Treatment of PKK members, PKK supporters and relatives of PKK members.......... 52 5.5 Armenians .................................................................................................... 53 5.5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 53 5.5.2 Vandalism against church buildings .................................................................. 53 5.5.3 Nationalist provocations in Armenian neighbourhoods ........................................ 53 5.5.4 Turkish-Armenian HDP MP threatened .............................................................. 54 6 Women ...................................................................................................... 55 6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 55 6.2 Violence against women ................................................................................. 55 6.3 Legal protection for women............................................................................. 57 6.4 Women’s shelters .......................................................................................... 57 7 Sexual minorities (LHBTI) ......................................................................... 58 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 58 7.2 Negative statements by the Turkish government ............................................... 58 7.3 LGBTI events and expressions in public ............................................................ 59 7.4 Homophobic violence and legal protection ........................................................ 60 8 Draft evaders and deserters ...................................................................... 62 8.1 Changes in the military service system ............................................................. 62 8.2 Freedom of movement for draft evaders and deserters....................................... 62 8.3 Punishments and sanctions for draft evaders and deserters ................................ 63 8.4 Military service and ethnic and religious minorities ............................................. 64 8.5 Military service and LGBTI people .................................................................... 65 8.6 Military service and (alleged) Gülenists ............................................................ 66 9 Refugees and displaced persons ................................................................ 67 9.1