IHRC began campaigning in Turkey when Selam Weekly, an Istanbul based newspaper, journalists were regularly persecuted for their outspoken criticism of the government and their Islamic beliefs. IHRC campaigned for the release of the ‘Prisoners of Faith’ who were targeted for their work at Selam. Selam Weekly was forcibly shutdown and anyone found reading it threatened with detention for sedition. Our Prisoners of Faith campaigns help lead not only to improve prison conditions but also to eventual release Insha Allah. Prisoners of Faith in Turkey include:

• Mehmet Ali Tekin faced prison and torture and has since passed away
• Nurredin Sirin was targeted for supplying pictures to a rally in support of Palestine.
• Aydin Koral wrote an article criticising the Turkish governments relationship with Israel and faces over a hundred years in prison if he returns.
• Gul Aslan spent three years in prison without charge and was released eventually.
• Huda Kaya faced the death penalty for her help in organising a demonstration against the hijab ban in Turkish universities

In 2016, Kudus TV was shut down by the Radio and Television Supreme Council on the grounds that it poses a threat to national security. China and Turkey’s extradition treaty signed in 2017 that threatened the 50 thousand Uighur refugees living there. Both countries claimed the treaty would be used for counter-terrorism purposes yet human rights groups believe that it would be used to intimidate and suppress many Uighur refugees who constantly live in the state of fear.