General Country of Origin Information Report Turkey October 2019 1 General Country of Origin Information Report October 2019 Publication details Location The Hague Prepared 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. 2 General Country of Origin Information Report October 2019 Table of Contents Publication details ......................................................................................... 2 1 Politics and security .................................................................................... 5 1.1 Political developments ................................................................................... 5 1.2 The security situation .................................................................................... 9 1.2.1 The attempted coup ...................................................................................... 9 1.2.2 South-east .................................................................................................. 10 1.2.3 Turkish Hizbollah and the Hüda-Par Party ........................................................ 12 2 Human rights ............................................................................................. 14 2.1 Legislation and regulations ............................................................................ 14 2.2 Compliance and violations ............................................................................. 17 2.2.1 Freedom of expression.................................................................................. 17 2.2.2 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................. 20 2.2.3 Freedom of religion and belief ........................................................................ 21 2.2.4 Freedom of movement .................................................................................. 21 2.2.5 Judicial process ........................................................................................... 23 2.2.6 Arrests, custody and detentions ..................................................................... 32 2.2.7 Maltreatment and torture .............................................................................. 33 2.2.8 Disappearances and abductions ..................................................................... 34 2.3 Position of specific groups ............................................................................. 34 2.3.1 People suspected of ties with the Gülen movement ........................................... 35 2.3.2 Opposition parties ........................................................................................ 36 2.3.3 Journalists .................................................................................................. 38 2.3.4 Human rights defenders ................................................................................ 39 2.3.5 Minorities .................................................................................................... 42 2.3.6 LGBTI ........................................................................................................ 42 2.3.7 Women and minors ...................................................................................... 44 3 Asylum and Migration ................................................................................ 46 3.1 Reception and protection of asylum-seekers and refugees in Turkey .................... 46 3.1.1 Uighurs ...................................................................................................... 49 3.2 Migration .................................................................................................... 51 3.3 Repatriation ................................................................................................ 52 4 Appendixes ................................................................................................ 54 4.1 Reports and publications ............................................................................... 54 4.2 Newspapers ................................................................................................ 57 4.3 Websites .................................................................................................... 57 4.4 List of abbreviations ..................................................................................... 58 4.5 Map ........................................................................................................... 59 3 General Country of Origin Information Report October 2019 Introduction This general country of origin information report describes the situation in Turkey insofar as it is relevant to the assessment of asylum applications from persons originating from Turkey and to decisions on the repatriation of rejected Turkish asylum-seekers. It describes the situation in Turkey from the failed coup attempt of July 2016 to September 2019, with the emphasis on the current situation and developments in the country. The report deals with the questions asked by the Ministry of Justice and Security as set out in the terms of reference of 21 March 2019. Topics in the terms of reference on which no specific questions were asked are briefly addressed in the report. At the request of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the requested information about conscientious objectors and deserters has been published in a separate thematic country of origin information report. That report was published in July 1 2019.0F Use has been made in the compilation of this report of information from various European and multilateral organisations, non-governmental organisations and other experts, as well as specialist literature and media reporting. An overview of the public sources consulted is included in the list of references. The report is also based on on-the-spot observations and confidential reports of the Dutch representations in Turkey and elsewhere. A fact-finding mission to Turkey took place in May 2019, during which Ankara, Istanbul and Diyarbakir were visited. Frequent reference is made to the consulted public sources. Where public sources are mentioned, the text is in many cases also supported by information obtained on a confidential basis. Where reference is made in certain passages to previous official reports, it can be assumed that the situation described in these reports is still applicable. Chapter One provides an overview of recent political developments and of the security situation. Chapter Two deals with the human rights situation in Turkey. In particular, the aftermath of the coup attempt and the measures taken under the state of emergency are examined. Chapter Three focuses primarily on the protection and reception of refugees in Turkey, and in particular the situation of the Uighurs. 1 https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/ambtsberichten/2019/07/11/thematisch-ambtsbericht-dienstplicht- turkije-juli-2019 4 General Country of Origin Information Report October 2019 1 Politics and security 1.1 Political developments President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) or Justice and Development Party has been in power in Turkey since 2002. Following initial reforms that also strengthened the rule of law and democracy, there has been increasing pressure on political rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey in recent years, especially after the failed coup attempt in July 2016. Moreover, since the presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2018, a presidential system has 2 existed with far-reaching powers for the president.1F Presidential and parliamentary elections, 24 June 2018 The incumbent President Erdoğan won the presidential election in the first round, receiving 52.5% of the vote with a turnout of 86.2%. In the parliamentary elections, 3 none of the parties gained an overall majority.2F For the parliamentary elections of 24 June 2018, the AKP and the national- conservative Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP) or Nationalist Movement Party formed an alliance, which gained a majority in the Turkish parliament (339 out of 600 seats). The MHP made considerable advances in these elections, going from 40 to 49 4 seats.3F The elections were characterised by the lack of a level playing field, with partisan media favouring the AKP and intimidation, harassment and attacks directed at opposition candidates. This limited the ability of the opposition candidates to compete on equal terms with the ruling parties for electoral support and to campaign freely. In addition, one of the opposition candidates for the presidency, Selahattin Demirtaş of the Halkların Demokratik Partisi (HDP) or Peoples’ Democratic 5 Party, remained in detention (see Chapter Two for more details).4F Presidential system Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was sworn in as the first president under the new presidential system in the Turkish parliament on 9 July 2018. The constitutional amendments that were adopted by referendum on 16 April 2017 thus officially entered into force, representing the most radical change to Turkey’s system since the establishment of 6 the Turkish Republic in 1923.5F The office of prime minister was abolished. With the 2 Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kamerbrief over de politieke situatie in Turkije en de relatie van Nederland met Turkije, 13 May 2019; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2019. Turkey, p. 2, accessed 21 June 2019.