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Human Rights Defenders

 

  • 14.10.2025 We participated in the event “Shaping Civil Society in Berlin” and set up a booth to introduce our activities as HRD
  • 13.10.2025 We participated in the TR 7/24 TV program and talked about our OSCE Warsaw events
  • 09.10.2025 SCE Human Rights Conference 2025 in Warsaw Day 4. We gave a presentation on torture in Turkey.
  • 08.10.2025 OSCE Human Rights Conference 2025 in Warsaw Day 3. We gave a presentation on freedom of expression.
  • 21.09.2025 We prepared a report for the United Nations OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) entitled “Experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”
  • 03.10.2025 As a member of the consortium, we called for the immediate release of the seriously ill lawyer Süleyman Yıldırım.
  • 30.09.2025 We printed two separate reports to be distributed to participants at the OSCE conference. They deal with torture and abductions in Turkey.

All events …

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Wir haben teilgenommen an

Fachtagung: Hizmet in Berlin – Zivilgesellschaft mitgestalten

hizmet konferansi
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OSZE-Menschenrechtskonferenz

Im Namen der Organisation Human Rights Defenders (HRD) sprach Prof. Hüseyin Demir, Präsident von HRD, auf der OSZE-Menschenrechtskonferenz 2025 in Warschau, die unter der finnischen OSZE-Präsidentschaft mit Unterstützung des ODIHR veranstaltet wurde.

Human Dimension Conference by OSCE
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Straßburger Gerechtigkeit Treffen

Als HRD – Human Rights Defenders e.V. haben wir uns als eine der führenden Dachorganisationen aktiv an dieser Aktion beteiligt.

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OSZE-Menschenrechtskonferenz 3.

Wir haben bei der Konferenz das Wort ergriffen und weiterhin über Menschenrechtsverletzungen in der Türkei im Bereich der „Meinungsfreiheit“ diskutiert. Unser Präsident, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Demir, führte seine Ausführungen wie folgt fort:

turkey-weaponizing-counterterrorism-osce-warsaw-conference-2025
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eu Fundamental Rights FRA

Fundamental Rights
in the EU

 

Fundamental rights are the basic freedoms and legal protections that every person is entitled to simply by being human. In the European Union, they are enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees dignity, equality, freedom, solidarity, citizens’ rights, and justice. These rights include freedom of expression, privacy, fair trial, gender equality, protection from discrimination, and the right to asylum. They form the moral and legal foundation of democracy and the rule of law across the EU.

Themes

Transnational Repression

Transnational repression refers to actions by a state that reach beyond its borders to silence, intimidate, or control its citizens or residents abroad. In the context of the European Union

Migration & Integration

Migration and integration sit at the heart of the EU’s fundamental rights project—and also at its deepest moral tension. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights binds all EU institutions and

Women’s rights

Here’s how that architecture works in practice: 1. Equality as a fundamental value.Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) declares equality between women and men one of the
hate speech

Hate Speech

The EU’s policies on combatting hate speech form a layered and evolving framework rooted in both legal instruments and policy strategies. Let’s unpack the architecture. At its legal core lies

Latest Posts

What We Do?

HRD e.V. helps victims obtain justice by using two different legal channels, either in combination or independently: criminal law and human rights. In both cases, individual victims have suffered severe abuse and the crimes are similar in nature. However, while criminal law deals with individual acts, human rights deals with the responsibility of the state.

Most cases handled by HRD are first dealt with at the national level, applying the criminal laws of the respective country. If this is not sufficient, HRD turns to the international level, e.g. to the European Court of Human Rights or to the competent organs of the United Nations. Our goal is to prove that the state was unwilling or unable to solve the crime and provide truth and reparation to the victims.

Advocacy for us means: arguing for a cause, raising awareness and influencing decision makers. HRD advocates for the rights of victims of international crimes, their families and their defenders, and ensures that their voices are heard by national authorities and international bodies.

To this end, HRD uses a combination of methods, such as research, reports, and meetings with decision makers. We seek partnerships with local actors, NGOs and/or lawyers.

HRD e.V. regularly publishes reports, reviews and other publications. They are usually produced to inform the general public, but may also be aimed at influential stakeholders (special rapporteurs, government members and officials, regional institutions, etc.) to support HRD e.V.’s lobbying efforts.

As HRD e.V., we advocate that it is not enough to try cases that would only bring justice to individual victims: what is needed is systemic change for all victims of the same crimes. In countries like Turkey, where serious human rights violations are committed and impunity is the norm, the only way to permanently improve the situation of victims is to use all available legal options, not only at the national level, but also at the regional and international levels.

Total Published Reports:

40

Torture in Türkiye

This summary is generated based on the report titled “Torture in Turkey: Crime Against Humanity,” compiled by Human
Pushback Yunanistan Türkiye Sınırında Geri İtme

Pushback Yunanistan Türkiye Sınırında Geri İtme

  Bu rapor, Türkiye-Yunanistan sınırında yaşanan göçmen sorunları ile otoriter Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Hükümetinden kaçarak Avrupa ülkelerine sığınmaya çalışan
Mass Arrests Of Members Of The Gülen Movement

Mass Arrests Of Members Of The Gülen Movement

  AS A METHOD OF COLLECTIVE GUILT AND PUNISHMENT HRD is an esteemed non-governmental organisation established in Germany

TURKEY: ARBITRARY MASS DETENTIONS AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

That authoritarian regimes intimidate, threaten or even carry out (or commission) assassinations against critical voices is no secret.

Die Weltweite Hexenjagd

Nirgends sicher vor Präsident Erdogan und seinem Machtapparat Dass autoritäre Regime kritische Stimmen auch im Ausland einschüchtern, bedrohen

THE TERM OF THE INQUIRY COMMISSION ON THE STATE OF EMERGENCY MEASURES (ICSEM) IS ENDING

The closure of the ICSEM is important, but there is no concrete change in favor of the victims…

We believe that change starts with individuals like you.

By becoming a member of our dedicated community, you can actively contribute to the fight for human rights, making a tangible impact on the lives of those in need.