I was born as the youngest of three children. From a young age, I worked hard in school. After middle school, I took the exams and got into an Anatolian High School. Later, I was accepted into the Faculty of Law at university. After graduating successfully, I passed the civil service exam and became a public prosecutor.


However, after the events of July 15, both my wife and I lost our jobs. Before I could understand what was happening, I was detained and then arrested. I spent 23 months in prison. Life in prison was very hard, especially because I had not done anything wrong. To stay strong, I started reading a lot of books. In about two years, I read more than 200 books. Since the library had a limit on how many books we could borrow, my friends borrowed books for me. I also worked on improving my English with the limited resources available.


After my release, I took a language exam to study at a second university. I was one of the top students in the country, and I ranked first. This was the beginning of my second university journey.


During this time, I needed to find a job to support my family. Since I had been dismissed from the state with a Statutory Decree, I could not get an official job. Fortunately, I found someone who understood my situation, and I started working as a driver for him. I was studying and working at the same time while enrolled in the English Language Teaching program. Our lives were slowly returning to normal. But then, the court made a decision in the case against my wife and me. The judges, who were influenced by politics, punished us like many others.


The country we loved had changed, and we knew we couldn’t stay. My wife and I decided to leave. It was winter, and the weather was very cold. But the idea of going back to prison felt even colder. So, we left the country illegally, even though it was very dangerous. We faced many challenges on the way. One night, we had to sleep in a tent near the border, with only our coats to keep us warm. We almost froze. But finally, thank God, we made it to Greece. Only people who have lost their freedom can really understand its true value.


When we arrived in Greece, the COVID-19 pandemic had started. We stayed there for almost a year. During that time, I made a living by teaching English online.


After a year, we moved to the Netherlands. Soon after we arrived, we started learning Dutch by ourselves. During this time, my wife and I did a lot of volunteer work, and we made many Dutch friends. When my Dutch improved, I took a computer course and then found a job.


About 1.5 to 2 years after arriving in the Netherlands, both my wife and I were able to find jobs. We are happy to support ourselves and pay our taxes without depending on anyone. We are very thankful to the Dutch people for their kindness, warmth, and support.



I was born as the youngest of three children. From a young age, I worked hard in school. After middle school, I took the exams and got into an Anatolian High School. Later, I was accepted into the Faculty of Law at university. After graduating successfully, I passed the civil service exam and became a public prosecutor.



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 I read more than 200 books in prison.

Our lives and the lives of our children are divided into two as before and after the slander called July 15. Before July 15, I was working as a principal at a private educational institution. I had university and high school students. Our job was not just a job, but a project to make an effort to make the whole world better... It was a job done for all people regardless of religion, language, or race, and for social assistance...


But because we did not support the wrongdoings of those who govern the state, because we voiced that these things were wrong, they targeted us and after July 15, I lost my job, my husband, and my home overnight. Despite my child, who was 1 year old at the time and receiving treatment for a life-threatening illness, I was left unemployed, homeless, and alone. My daughter is at risk of death if she does not take her medication, and despite me telling them this many times, the police who came to our house, unlawfully and unconscionably took my daughter's medicines and prevented her from taking medicine for 2 months.


My husband was detained in a very bad way and I did not hear from him for 20 days. After 20 days, we had a phone call for a few minutes. He asked me to take good care of myself and our children and wait patiently and hung up. Then, even more painful processes began because a criminal case had also been opened regarding me and an arrest warrant had been issued. If I was arrested, who would look after my daughter, who was 1 year old at the time, and my son, who was 7 years old? That’s why I had to hide. My hiding from the police lasted 23 months.


During those 23 months, I couldn’t see my husband, who was in prison, even once because if I went to visit him, they could arrest me as well. According to prison rules, my mother and father couldn’t visit my husband, who was their son-in-law, without me being with them. That’s why my mother and father took my children to the prison gate. My 7-year-old son had to go through the gate to visit the prison, have their ID checked, and go through the body searches alone, along with his 1-year-old sister…


At the end of 23 months, I went to the police myself. I explained my situation, told them that I needed to be with my daughter for her treatment, that her life was in danger. Thankfully, the judges, who still had some conscience left, due to my daughter's illness and my husband's arrest, decided to let me stand trial without being arrested.


My daughter's treatment was very expensive and required special nutrition and special care. I was unemployed, looking for a job but couldn't find one. Because if a business offered me a job, the cruel state administrators could close that business down with an excuse, and so employers were afraid to hire me. During this period, I had to both support our household and send money to my husband who was in prison, so even though they were both young, I left my children alone at home and went to do the cleaning from time to time and went to the market to sell things. My son was also worn out during this process, he suddenly had no father, we were struggling to make ends meet, and since I was taking care of my ill daughter alone, I had no time to take care of my son. My son tried to survive on his own amidst these storms.


So, weren't there good people or relatives who would support us? There were, but they were also in the hands of tyrants and were being obstructed by the state. When it was determined that they were helping us, a criminal case would be filed against them, and since they were threatened with this, they were afraid to support us and help us. We went through very difficult times.


I was very upset when news of the detention, arrest and torture that my husband and many other good people like him had been subjected to came. On the one hand, they had took my daughter's medicines and were threatening us with my daughter's treatment, in other words, her life. It was as if I was not facing state officials but bandits blocking the road. We could not seek our rights in any way, justice had been torn away from the country overnight. Not only justice, but also conscience and humanity. How can state officials use the life of a tiny innocent child as a tool? Of course, we were not guilty, but let's say even if we were guilty, what was my tiny child's crime? We could not explain our situation to anyone, no one understood our situation, except for those who were victimized like us. They were broadcasting such unrealistic news on television that people's brains had been numbed.


It was no longer possible to seek rights, the people they assigned as judges and prosecutors were either evil-hearted like those who governed the state or were cowards who saw their own future in danger if they made just decisions.


At the end of 5 years, my husband was released from prison and returned home. Just as we were rejoicing that my husband had returned, we received the news that my criminal case had been concluded. If I had continued to stay in the country, I would have been in prison for years, so we had to leave the country immediately. But how would that have happened? My daughter was receiving treatment and she might not have been able to handle this difficult process. But if we had stayed in the country, if I had been arrested, her psychology could have been worn out and her treatment could have worsened. We decided to leave the country, but this decision was a very difficult one for my husband and I.


I would like to point out here that if victims like us did not have to leave the country, I would definitely not leave the country. I would not have because this journey was threatening my daughter's life. Despite all this, we had to risk everything and set off on the road because I could have been arrested; because my daughter's treatment could have been prevented again; because my husband could have been arrested again despite being in prison and released and even if we look at the situation Turkey is in right now, we are in a period where even 16-year-old children are being arrested, and my son could have been arrested in a few years.





And we came to the Netherlands in September, walking for 4 hours in very difficult conditions, swimming across the Meriç River, by running the risk of drowning while passing by, staying in custody at the police station for 20 days, despite my daughter, having endured a difficult journey. After coming here, the doctors here said that my daughter's health was very worn out and the treatment she received in Turkey was insufficient and inadequate, and they hospitalized her for 20 days due to her life-threatening condition, and while we were in the hospital, my son lived alone in the camp. This process was also very difficult for us. Unfortunately, my daughter now has to take oxygen support at nights.


Despite my daughter's condition, we were able to get a residence permit after 8 months. The doctor expects us to move home immediately for additional treatments to be added to my daughter's treatment. We have been waiting for a house for a few months.


A person does not leave her/his country because another country is better, especially Turkey was a good country until the July 15 plot, but now our lives are in danger there…


One incident that upset me here was when an official said that the process of you Gülenists is long because Syrians are given priority because they are fleeing the war…


So what was war, was it to die, we also have dead people, those who died in prison under torture, those who were kidnapped and killed, those who died of heart attacks or cancer due to the severity of the process, those who could not stand these oppressions and slanders and committed suicide…


What was war, wasn’t it cruelty to children and women without discrimination? Many women are in prison under torture, children are in prison with their mothers…


What was war, wasn’t it cruelty to patients? 1605 people are in prison despite their serious illnesses…


There are elderly people, visually impaired people, wheelchair users and even bedridden patients in prisons.…


Even people who have been released after spending years in prison are being arrested again and torture continues…


We went through very difficult days, my husband's experiences, my daughter's, my son's, all experienced separate traumas...

Our lives and the lives of our children are divided into two as before and after the slander called July 15. Before July 15, I was working as a principal at a private educational institution.

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 My daughter was at risk of dying if she didn’t take her medication, but the police took her medication.

First of all, I want to talk a little about my family.

I was born as the second of 5 children of a worker father and a housewife mother in a small village in Gediz district of Kütahya province. I completed my education under difficult conditions and became a police officer after passing the police exams. 

In the 14th year of my career, I was suspended on 28 July, using so-called coup attempt in our country on 15 July 2016 as an excuse. I was dismissed from my profession on September 1, 2016. Our whole lives, including my 3 children and my wife, were turned upside down. 

But life was going on and I had to take care of my family. I applied for jobs in various places. But when they learned that I had been dismissed by decree law, all employers rejected my job application, saying that they could not hire me, otherwise they might be subject to investigation. 

I started driving a taxi upon the offer of a relative. After 6 months, I was detained and arrested on false grounds. I stayed in prison for 1 year. During this period, my family experienced great suffering and economic difficulties. At the first hearing, the court sentenced me to 6 years and 10 months and released me. I continued driving a taxi again. 9 months later, I was detained again with a different excuse and was released after 7 days of detention by the decision of the prosecutor's office. Meanwhile, our family order and the entire psychology of family members were disrupted. My wife and I broke up. 

I started trying to be both a mother and a father to my two daughters, 17 and 14 years old, and a 12-year-old son. 

My children were excluded by their friends both at school and in the environment we lived in. We were already treated like the plague. 

I could not hire a lawyer due to financial difficulties. I made the necessary objections myself through all necessary legal means. The Supreme Court overturned the sentence given by the first instance court because the witnesses were not heard in court. I was retried and the court made the same decision, but I appealed again. The Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested that my sentence be approved. 

We had only one choice left, and that was to go abroad. I was banned from traveling abroad. Therefore, there was no possibility of me leaving the country by normal means. 

Going abroad illegally was very expensive and I did not have enough money; For this reason, I had to sell the house I bought with my 20 years of savings. One night, we crossed the (Meriç) Maritsa River in a (plastic)rubber makeshift boat, and after a 4-hour journey filled with danger at every moment, with about 30 people. 

In the end we managed to cross to Greece with my three children. We were finally free. I was not going to go to prison, I was free from the anxiety that was gnawing at my brain, what if I went to prison, to whom would I entrust my children, who would take care of them. 

This is my story…





I stayed in prison for 1 year. 9 months after being released from prison, I was detained again with a different excuse and was released after 7 days of detention by the decision of the prosecutor's office. Meanwhile, our family order and the entire psychology of family members were disrupted. My wife and I broke up.

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 I Completed My Education Under Difficult Conditions And Became A Police Officer 

 I was born in a cute and small city in Anatolia. My family raised me and my siblings with devotion. My siblings and I have always been hard-working students. My brother and I graduated from law school, and my sister graduated from economics faculty. My sister and I both took the exams and became government officials. 

I have always tried to do my job with dedication and justice. 

After the so-called coup attempt on July 15, 2016, my husband and I were dismissed from our profession without question. Our house was suddenly raided by the police, all our belongings were searched for non-existent criminal items. Of course there was nothing, but it made me very sad that our house was searched as if we were criminals. There was no evidence in the file opened against us.

The rulers of the state had prepared a list of civil servants they would dismiss from the state, long before the so-called coup attempt of July 15. On the day of the so-called coup attempt and afterwards, my husband and thousands of people were dismissed from their jobs and detained. For most people, the reason for being detained and arrested was simply to be on the list prepared by some bad people running the state. This list was a list of slander prepared entirely unfairly and unlawfully. Everyone they added to the previously prepared list became members of the armed terrorist organization that tried to destroy the state with the so-called coup attempt organized by the government rulers and implemented by using some soldiers. No one was given the slightest right of real defence. 

Those who prepared the list chose the judges who would make arrest verdicts and thousands of people were first detained under inhumane conditions and then arrested. A group of evil people ruling the state prepared and implemented their evil plans very successfully.

Based on this, they detained my husband and then arrested him. Our separation with my husband lasted nearly 2 years. At that time I was on trial without arrest. While my husband was in prison, we had the chance to meet from behind the glass one day a week and open meeting in prison only one day a month. My psychology was very worn out, it was very difficult to go to the meetings, wait there for hours and then be subjected to a body search every time. 

We were suddenly declared terrorists in a way we never thought possible, and we became members of an armed terrorist organization without even knowing how to use a gun. 

We were like a plague in society, we couldn't tell anyone about our situation. People were so deceived by newspaper and television news that they did not realize that we were being slandered. They released my husband after 23 months of prison. After my husband was released from prison, he started working as an unregistered driver because we had no possibility of finding registered employment. He also got into his second university in Turkey and started studying.While we were trying to start a new life again, the trial against us was completed and we were sentenced to prison. We were either going to prison or going abroad. Like everyone else in our situation, we were not allowed to go abroad legally. 

That's why it was necessary to use illegal ways if we were going to leave. Going abroad illegally was difficult both financially and emotionally. We knew that people had many problems on the road, some were subjected to physical violence, and some died by drowning, but the years we would spend in prison seemed even worse to us, so we risked everything and set off with my husband on a cold winter day. 

We experienced some problems on the way. We couldn't go to the Greek side right away, we had to stay out one night with very limited supplies. Since it was winter and we did not have proper equipment, we were in danger of freezing. Afterwards, thank God, we were able to go to the Greek side. We had to stay in Greece for a year because it was the Corona period. Then we came to the Netherlands.

I started studying Dutch just a month after I came to the Netherlands. My aim was to learn Dutch immediately, get a job and earn my own living. My language learning journey lasted about a year and a half. During this time, I worked in many volunteer jobs. I had a very good Dutch friend whom I met at one of these jobs and still see him. With his reference, I got the job I am currently working at. Although understanding Dutch legal texts was a bit difficult at first but I learned it over time and with hard work. 

Dutch people are very helpful and friendly. I love my job, my colleagues and the Netherlands. I am so grateful to these kind-hearted people.





I started studying Dutch just a month after I arrived in the Netherlands. My language learning journey lasted about a year and a half, and I got a job right after. Dutch people are very helpful and friendly. I love my job, my colleagues and the Netherlands. I am very grateful to these kind-hearted people.


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The Rulers Of The State Had Prepared A List Of Civil Servants They Would Dismiss From The State, Long Before The So-called Coup Attempt

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Panel Den Haag

DenHaag Panel

After his father Haşim Güneyin was arrested after July 15th as a victim of the witch hunt, Nahit Emre Güney, who was undergoing psychological treatment, ended his life by jumping from the Galata Tower on October 12, 2022, as a result of the inadequacy of his medication and his loss of decision-making ability.

TheHague Panel


In oppressive regimes, justice falls silent, and the innocent disappear. Their crimes are unknown, their defense unheard. One morning, they are taken away without warning and never return. Their stories remain like silent cries. Here, we will tell the stories of a few lives that echo in that silence.

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In onderdrukkende regimes zwijgt de gerechtigheid, verdwijnen onschuldigen. Hun misdaden zijn onbekend, hun verdediging wordt niet gehoord. Op een ochtend worden ze plots meegenomen en keren nooit meer terug. Hun verhalen blijven als stille schreeuwen achter. Hier zullen we enkele levens vertellen die in die stilte weerklinken.

Stille Schreeuwen: Slachtoffers van Onderdrukkende Regimes

Baskıcı rejimlerde adalet susar, masumlar kaybolur. Suçları bilinmez, savunmaları dinlenmez. Bir sabah ansızın götürülür, bir daha geri dönmezler. Onların hikayeleri, sessiz çığlıklar gibi kalır. Burada, o sessizlikte yankılanan birkaç yaşamı anlatacağız.

Sessiz Çığlıklar: Baskıcı Rejimlerin Kurbanları

Our platform was established to announce human rights violations to the public and to share agendas to contribute to society Dutch:@samenvvv Turkish:@samenvvvTR

Together for Freedom and Connection

Turkish Radio Television Country News Director,  Sanli is sentenced 9 years in prison by 18th Criminal Court in Turkey.

SiyasiTutsaklara Özgürlük https://t.co/zg8Ltuqdm8

Today, with the developing technology, social media is one of the most important tools for explaining human rights and announcing human rights violations. For this reason, a social media platform has been established within our foundation for the effective use of social media tools.

Vandaag de dag, met de zich ontwikkelende technologie, is sociale media een van de belangrijkste instrumenten om mensenrechten uit te leggen en mensenrechtenschendingen aan te kondigen. Om deze reden is er binnen onze stichting een social media platform opgericht voor het effectief inzetten van social media tools.

Günümüzde gelişen teknolojiyle birlikte sosyal medya insan haklarının anlatılması ve insan hakları ihlallerinin duyurulması için en önemli araçlardandır. Bu nedenle sosyal medya araçlarının etkin bir biçimde kullanılması için, vakfımız bünyesinde sosyal medya platformu kurulmuştur. 

Hüseyin, Nur Feridun, Nadire and Bahar Maden have embarked on a painful journey. On November 1, 2017, the Maden family set sail to the Aegean Sea with the hope of a life of solitude. However, the boat they were on capsized and they lost their lives along with their three children. This event left behind an indescribable pain and deep sorrow. Seven years have passed since that tragic event.

For Mustafa Barış Avialan, the Judicial Medical Examiner issued a "postponement of execution" but the court refused to release him. Avialan, whose lungs filled with water, whose heart was working at capacity and who was left to die in solitary confinement when he should have been in intensive care, lost his life as a result of negligence.

The journey of hope that started on February 13, 2018 turned into a tragic refugee story when the boat capsized.6 years ago, Uğur Abdürrezzak,Ayse Abdurrezzak and her two children Halil Münir and Abdülkadir Enes were buried in the deep waters of the Evros River.

Teacher Sumeyye Avci, who was forced to leave her country due to the unlawful regime, lost her life when the boat they were on capsized while trying to cross Greece's Lesbos Island.

Murat Tekin
 Military Academy student  Murat Tekin was killed on the night of the coup without even knowing why.Murat was brought to the Boğaziçi Bridge by the bloody Sadat terrorist organization.He was killed on the bridge by cutting his throat.We will not forget Murat Tekin.

Hatice Ezgi Orçan

Teacher Hatice Ezgi Orçan was dismissed with a Decree Law. Orçan, a mother of 1 child, who was unemployed and could not survive the injustice she was experiencing, was diagnosed with cancer and died on May 8, 2018.

Nesrin Gençosman

Nesrin Gençosman, a Qur'an teacher, left prison in a coffin after 41 days. Gençosman contracted pneumonia due to unhealthy prison conditions. A series of neglect led to her death.

Halime Gülsu

English teacher Halime Gülsu was arrested for helping the children of prisoners. Gülsu, who has a fatal disease (SLE), could not take  the medication she needed, that caused her death in Tarsus prison.

JUSTICE COMING FROM THE GRAVE 

Gökhan Açıkkollu, a teacher , was taken into custody in July 2016. He was denied his medication. He was severely tortured and lost his life in Vatan Police Station. He was told to be buried in the traitors' cemetery. Gökhan Açıkkollu was reinstated by the Ministry of National Education 1.5 years after his death. The UN ruled that his right to life, liberty and security was violated after 6.5 years.

Former SCJP (Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors) Teoman Gökçe suffered a heart attack in cell No. 8 of Sincan T-Type Prison, a 10-square-meter space with windows covered by wire mesh. He was taken to the hospital in the prison campus 30 minutes later, but it was too late. Gökçe passed away on April 2, 2018.

Silent Cries: Victims of Oppressive Regimes

A woman brings light to the darkest moments of life, nurturing hope with love and overcoming obstacles to create new beginnings.

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Een vrouw brengt licht in donkere tijden. Met liefde en hoop opent ze nieuwe deuren.

Rechten van de vrouw

Kadın, sevgi ve umutla karanlıkları aydınlatır, engelleri aşarak yeni yollar açar.

Kadın Hakları 

Women's Persecution in the Shadow of JusticeIn the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt, women are being persecuted on unsubstantiated charges. 

759 babies are imprisoned with their mothers without health care.

Sümeyye Aydın 

She was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for non-criminal activities and has been detained since December 13, 2022.

Aydın is in prison with her young daughter and longs for her 6-year-old daughter. Her detention is unlawful.

Belkıs Ipek 

Ipek family was arrested in 2023 while fleeing persecution in Turkey. 

Their 3-year-old son went to prison with his mother, while their daughters, aged 7 and 12, are now separated from their parents.

Aysun Işınkaralar

She was arrested in 2018, was subjected to torture such as electrocution and strangulation in detention. 

Işınkaralar described the torture she was subjected to by saying, "I felt the electricity in my body down to my teeth and hair strands."

Esra Yurt

She was subjected to physical and psychological torture in Ankara TEM in February 2017. 

Esra Yurt stated that a tall blonde female police officer said, "We will leave you a souvenir of us." and tortured her with acid.

Women's Rights and Inequality in Turkey

Turkey ranks 127th out of 146 countries in the 2024 WEF Global Gender Gap Report.More than 5,000 women, from teachers to journalists, are imprisoned for political reasons.

Ayten Öztürk

Who was abducted by MİT in 2018, revealed that she was tortured for 6 months in a secret location in Ankara. 

Öztürk stated that she was subjected to torture such as electrocution, suspension, harassment and rape attempts.

Esra Nerse 

She was paralyzed by a tick bite in Switzerland. Her husband has been in prison for 2 years because of his Bank Asya account.

Her husband Mr. Ferhat demands her release, stating that the family unit is in danger of disintegration.

Gülden Aşık
A mother of three, was sentenced to prison in 2019. She  goy thyroid cancer in prison and lost her baby. 

Aşık needs surgery but cannot undergo surgery due to prison conditions.

Safiye  Özdemir

A teacher, was imprisoned in 2021.  Her husband Abbas Özdemir has been in prison since 2016. The couple's three children were left parentless. 

The  education course where Safiye Özdemir worked and her Bank Asya account were criminalized.

Ferhan Oktan

Who was sentenced to prison for teaching in a private school, was caught and arrested while fleeing persecution. 

Oktan's wife, who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016, cares for their two children, ages 1 and 9. "We are denied the right to life," Oktan said.

Güler Çetinkaya 

Former literature teacher Güler Çetinkaya was sent to prison for participating in religious conversations.   Her husband Yavuz Çetinkaya has been in prison for 4 years. 

She left behind two children, 4 and 7 years old, who are symbols of victimization.

Arslan and his wife were imprisoned in September 2023 on charges of teaching at a tutoring center and depositing money in a bank. 

The couple, parents of six children—one of whom is disabled—have not been released despite an ECHR ruling that their rights were violated.

Edibe Tatar

A teacher and mother of three, was previously imprisoned for 9 months on non-criminal charges. 

Tatar was arrested again on June 14, 2023.

 Her husband has also been in prison for 5 years. The children are now trying to hold on to life under difficult conditions.

Esengül Arslan

 A third-year student at the Faculty of Nursing, was detained on the grounds that the money sent by her brother was "terrorist financing." 

Arslan's father, who lost his house in the February 6 earthquake, has been detained for six years.

 Melek İpek

İpek Holding's owner Akın İpek's mother, philanthropist business person Melek İpek, was sent to prison on unfounded charges despite all her illnesses. 

After being hospitalized for 10 days, İpek was sent back to prison.

Hanife Arslan

 81 years old, was first arrested in 2017. After 9 months of detention and release, Arslan was arrested again in 2022. 

Arslan, who has undergone angioplasty 9 times and has many diseases, should be released immediately and this torture should end as soon as possible.

Şerife Sulukan 

Sulukan, a teacher who had suffered a stroke, had a disability report, and struggled with epilepsy, was unable to meet her personal needs. 

Despite this, she was imprisoned on August 16, 2022, based on a report declaring she could remain in prison. 

Sema Gökkan 

She was imprisoned despite the ECHR's judgement against Turkey for violation of rights.Gökkan left her 8-year-old daughter with her husband and went to prison with her 4-month-old baby. 

Her husband Osman Gökkan is also a teacher who has been imprisoned before.

Özlem Sariçelik 

Turkish teacher Özlem Sarıçelik has been in prison since September 2020. Her husband, teacher Zekeriya Sarıçelik, was arrested in 2017.

 Sarıçelik family has an 11-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and a 7-year-old son. 

Arzu Keçeli

Arzu Keçeli, a visually impaired teacher, sought refuge in Germany in 2021, learned German, and started a YouTube channel to support people with disabilities and share her educational expertise.



Özge Özbek

A 38-year-old social worker, was sent to prison after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor.

 Özbek, who was transferred to Ankara Sincan Women's Closed Prison for treatment, cannot receive the necessary health services.

Women Rights

In Turkey, 759 babies and children are currently in prison awaiting justice.

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In Turkije zitten momenteel 759 baby's en kinderen in gevangenissen te wachten op gerechtigheid.

De Kracht van Onschuld

Türkiyede 0-6 yaş arasında 759 bebek ve çocuk su an cezaevlerinde adalet bekliyor.

Masumiyetin Gücü 

In the lawsuit filed against Eskişehir Prison in 2018 due to the alleged torture of four child prisoners, the prison director was sentenced to imprisonment while the correction officers were acquitted. This decision showed that the problem of impunity in allegations of ill-treatment and torture in prisons continues.

According to CISST's 2022 report, it was emphasized that the basic needs of children in prison are not met, they remain disconnected from the outside world and cannot participate in social activities. Prison does not provide suitable conditions for children.

Children in prison have traumatic experiences. Arzu (34) states that her child was often searched by opening his diaper. Arzu's 21-month-old son Onur was not sent to the infirmary for 15 days despite falling off a bunk bed on his head. Arzu rebels: "What are so many children doing in prison?"

     Violations of the rights of women and children imprisoned in Turkey contravene international standards such as the UN's Bangkok and Tokyo Rules.    The UN report recommends non-imprisonment measures for pregnant women and mothers with dependent children. In Turkey, however, these rules are not enforced and women prisoners are kept in prisons unnecessarily.

It is observed that the physical and social development of children staying with inmate mothers is weakened due to the crowded structure of the wards. Children experience various developmental problems.

The husband of Emine Güçlüer, a teacher with a state of emergency decree, who is imprisoned in Edirne L Type Prison with her baby, stated that there are 15-16 people in wards for three people and that his wife has to sleep on the floor with four babies, saying that these conditions are against human rights.    He demanded that his wife and child be released from prison as soon as possible.

     The parents of 11-year-old Elif Sinem, who has Down syndrome, and 7-year-old Yahya Süleyman are in prison.      Elif Sinem has had 8 kidney surgeries and now her mother is in prison at a time when she needs her mother the most. Elif has been fatherless for 7 years and motherless for 4 years. Every night they cry "Where is my mother?" but there is no one to help them.

People imprisoned for their legal activities... Couples like Nurcan and Abdülkadir Arslan are being punished without concrete evidence to prove their guilt.A family was falsely accused of ByLock and Bank Asya and sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison. Six innocent children were left behind longing for their parents.

Semra Banko, a housewife trying to cross to Greece, was pushed back with her 18-month-old son Ahmet Arif and was arrested on August 24, 2023 and sent to Edirne Prison. Banko was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison for having an account at Bank Asya and for being a member of a shut-down dershan. During her detention, the mother and baby were given only water and no food for a day. Now he is separated from his mother.

    Hilal Uysal was first imprisoned in Şakran Prison in 2018, when her daughter Zülal was 1.5 years old, and spent 7 months in Şakran Prison. Hilal Uysal was arrested again on November 24, 2021. Zülal's father has also been in prison for 6 years. Zülal had to be separated from her mother on December 12, 2022 because she was 6 years old. Children should not have to go through this drama!

  Yavuz Esat Betül Akgün, a 3-year-old child and her mother, a teacher, was forced to fight the coronavirus in a cramped prison cell.    An innocent child is serving her sentence for a crime she did not commit. Their home is like a funeral home, they are waiting for their child.

Another mother's light was extinguished in prison... Edibe Tatar, a teacher and mother of 3 children, was arrested again on June 14, 2023 after having previously spent 9 months in prison for non-criminal reasons. These children, whose husband has also been in prison for 5 years, are now trying to hold on to life.

Ferah Oktan, the mother of 9-year-old Safiye and 17-month-old Asude, was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison and arrested on August 9 for working at a closed school and being a member of a trade union.

Asuman Birinci, the wife of Eyüp Birinci, a Turkish teacher with a state of emergency decree, whose torture was recognized by the Constitutional Court, was also arrested on May 29, 2023. The mother of four was struggling to heal the wounds of her husband, who had been tortured and imprisoned for 6 years, while she was in financial difficulties. Now she too is in prison.


Being in prison means being subjected to strip searches, living in a concrete room with only a plastic table, chair and television. 

For the child, having no relatives other than the mother increases the destructive effects of this environment.

Innocence's Power

Kunsthalte is a group where people who took emigrated in the Netherlands, who are interested in art, meet both online and physically, share their experiences with each other, share information on modern and traditional arts, and organize artistic activities at the same time.

The Freedom Combination Foundation is an ANBI foundation registered under Stichting Wees de Stem voor Vrijheid.

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