Programme MENA

Les Ètudes du CERI

Denunciation in Turkey (2006-2021). A surveillance and repression system, by Aysen Usal Fieldwork on denunciation in Turkey in contemporary times allows us to understand the way in which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) governs, the different forms of surveillance it relies on, the range of its repressive repertoire and the strategies and ruses of power, as well as its ability to reproduce obedience and to penetrate society. This research exposes the multiple functions of denunciation, as a political technique and a practice of self-discipline and punishment, and the Presidential Communication Center (CIMER), the control apparatus which centralizes the system of denunciation. This research focuses on the reports collected by CIMER, the dedicated entity for denunciations. It examines its archives directly through certain institutions and looks at three written sources: the archives of trial files collected from certain law firms; parliamentary documents, especially written questions from deputies; and press coverage. Additionally, it draws from semi-structured interviews with the victims of the denunciation, as well as with lawyers, to provide further insight.