International Reactions

The United Nations has warned Turkey that wide-ranging purges and arrests following a failed coup “go beyond what can be justified” and may violate international law. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has launched a wide-ranging crackdown since a military faction attempted to oust the president last month, arresting tens of thousands of people and removing many more

Turkey’s courts have placed at least 1,684 judges and prosecutors in pretrial detention in the aftermath of the failed July 15, 2016 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. They are detained on suspicion that they are members of a terrorist organization or were involved in the coup attempt. Some lawyers have been reluctant to represent

Human Rights Foundation (HRF) calls on the United Nations (UN) to immediately take action and inquire into credible allegations of gross human rights violations in Turkey following last month’s failed coup. HRF urges UN special procedures mandate holders — including the Special Rapporteurs on torture, independence of judges, freedom of expression, and freedom of association, and the

A Turkish journalist who faces jail for revealing state secrets has resigned as editor of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper. Can Dundar said trusting the judiciary after July’s failed coup would be “like putting one’s head under a guillotine”. The government has cracked down on the media following the coup attempt. In May, Mr Dundar was

The Chicago-based American Bar Association (ABA) has called on Turkish government to release people detained without evidence as part of investigations into July 15 coup attempt. ABA calls upon Turkish government to immediately release each detained judge, lawyer, prosecutor, journalist and any other individual unless there is evidence establishing reasonable grounds to believe that the

The US Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators published a declaration/statement regarding the current law infringement in Turkey emphasizing constitutional democracy. The board of the CCJ and COSCA announced the statement in recognition of the importance of an independent judiciary within a constitutional democracy, which should be free from intimidation and

The head of the Council of Europe, the continent’s top human rights organization, said on Wednesday that Turkey needs to follow human rights in crackdown on coup plotters, which gained momentum after the declaration of state of emergency. Thorbjorn Jagland, head of the Council of Europe, was the first high-ranking European official to visit Turkey

45 international organizations from all around the world strongly denounce Turkey’s massive purge of university deans, professors. “The below listed organizations collectively note with profound concern the apparent moves to dismantle much of the structure of Turkish higher education through purges, restrictions, and assertions of central control, a process begun earlier this year and accelerating

Boston Herald publishes an editorial on Turkey’s post-coup crackdown. “The once thriving democracy of Turkey is on the brink of becoming a gulag — its own citizens held captive, unable to leave. Since the aborted July 15 coup attempt, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the arrest of thousands of judges and prosecutors, ordered the