STATEMENT | 08 May 2025 Mass Detention of 208 Students in Türkiye: URA Condemns Arbitrary Arrests and Legal Violations - URA

UNIVERSAL RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (URA) Johannesburg, South Africa

The Universal Rights Association (URA) is dedicated to promoting human rights, justice, and equality worldwide. We work to document and raise awareness about human rights violations, advocate for legal reforms, and support victims of injustice. Through reports, international engagement, and activism, we strive to uphold fundamental rights.

Date: 08 May 2025

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution

PRESS RELEASE

Johannesburg, 8 May 2025 — The Universal Rights Association (URA) strongly condemns the mass detention of 208 individuals, most of them university students and young people, across 47 provinces in Türkiye. The arrests, coordinated from Gaziantep, were publicly announced by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Ali Yerlikaya, on X https://x.com/AliYerlikaya/status/1919662466767675857?t=iq1T936oCeRHhFxZ4gI6UA&s=09

Authorities claim the detainees are connected to a so-called “current organizational structure” linked to the Gülen movement.

However, accusations rely on vague associations, including:

• Attending international academic meetings

• Use of encrypted communication tools

• Traveling abroad for education

• Social or professional ties with blacklisted individuals or institutions

None of these acts constitute criminal behavior under Türkiye’s domestic law.

These claims are further detailed in public reporting, including:

https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/05/06/turkish-authorities-detain-208-people-in-a-day-over-alleged-gulen-links–minister/

Most alarmingly, detainees were denied access to legal counsel for 24 hours following their arrest. Lawyers have since been barred from reviewing case files due to secrecy orders. These measures are in violation of both domestic legal protections and international human rights standards.

Legal Violations: Denial of Legal Counsel
This violates:

• ICCPR – International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Türkiye signed the ICCPR on 15 August 2000 and ratified it on 23 September 2003. The Covenant entered into force for Türkiye on 23 December 2003.

Article 9: Prohibits arbitrary arrest and guarantees the right to be promptly informed of the charges and to challenge detention before a court.

Article 14: Guarantees the right to a fair trial, including access to legal counsel, adequate time to prepare a defense, and the presumption of innocence.

• ECHR – European Convention on Human Rights
As a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the ECHR, Türkiye is bound by:

Article 5: Right to liberty and security; protection from unlawful detention.

Article 6: Right to a fair trial; includes timely access to a lawyer and to relevant case information.

• Salduz v. Türkiye (ECtHR, 2008) — a binding judgment affirming that access to legal counsel is mandatory from the first police interrogation unless compelling reasons exist. The Court ruled that such denial irreparably harms the right to a fair trial. Main principle established:“Access to a lawyer should be provided from the first interrogation of a suspect by the police, unless compelling reasons exist.”

URA’s Response: URA has submitted an urgent appeal to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) and calls for:

• International human rights bodies to condemn these detentions publicly

• The media to report on these escalating abuses

• Türkiye to immediately restore legal access and halt the abuse of anti-terror laws to target peaceful and academic activity

Universal Rights Association (URA)
Johannesburg, South Africa
www.uniras.org
info@uniras.org

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