Denunciation in Turkey (2006-2021)

Etude du CERI : Denunciation in Turkey (2006-2021)
A surveillance and repression system
by Aysen Usal 

This work offers an analysis of denunciation in contemporary Turkey. The issue of denunciation can help us better understand the ways 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. The work contributes offsets out 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 from selected institutions and looks at three main other written sources: the archives of trial files from select law firms; parliamentary documents and 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.