‘Disappeared’ in Turkey: Rights Groups Launch 2-Week Justice Campaign for Custody Victims
Rights groups in Turkey are ramping up pressure on the state this month, demanding answers for people who vanished while in police or military custody. From May 17 to May 31, the Human Rights Association (İHD) Istanbul branch and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) will hold events across Istanbul to demand justice, truth, and peace for the disappeared [150679].
The campaign comes as the same organization, the İHD, also warns that keeping seriously ill prisoners behind bars is a direct violation of the right to life. In a separate case, the group said that Mehmet Emin Çam, a critically ill inmate, should be released immediately because his continued detention is causing multiple human rights violations [107236].
The calls for accountability in Turkey are part of a broader global pattern. United Nations experts have accused Indian authorities of violating international law in Jammu and Kashmir, citing arbitrary arrests, property demolitions, communication blackouts, and forced expulsions after a counter-terrorism operation in April [12511]. The UN experts said these collective punishment measures target Muslim minorities and breach international human rights standards [12511].
In Africa, a landmark legal case is testing whether governments have a duty to protect people displaced by climate change. People forced from their homes in Tanzania’s Rufiji Delta by rising sea levels and flooding have taken their case to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing the government failed to shield them from climate impacts [115873]. A ruling in their favor would set a legal precedent requiring governments to provide durable solutions like safer housing and relocation support [115873].
Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned that a ceasefire in Lebanon has failed to stop civilian deaths. “The reality on the ground in Lebanon has been deeply alarming,” said Imran Riza, the UN Resident Coordinator, calling for immediate action to protect non-combatants [150243].