Nimet Tanrıkulu
Nimet Tanrıkulu is a long-standing woman human rights defender, feminist, founding member of Human Rights Association and Women for Peace Initiative, and supporter of the group Saturday Mothers. She was arrested during the 1980 military coup in Türkiye and tortured in custody which resulted in injuries that continue to cause health problems for her. The treatment the woman human rights defender endured inspired her to commit her life to the promotion and protection of human rights. This work has led to her being arrested, detained and having faced prosecution numerous times. Nimet Tanrikulu has also been involved in the establishment of several cultural and human rights organisations and in 2005, the Istanbul Medical Chamber honoured her with the Sevinc Özgüner Human Rights, Peace and Democracy Award. She has an MA degree from Bilgi University, with her dissertation focusing on women and peace.
Human rights defenders (HRDs) in Türkiye have been subjected to judicial harassment, including criminal prosecution, violent attacks, threats, surveillance, prolonged arbitrary detention, and ill-treatment. In the aftermath of an attempted coup in July 2016, the environment for the work of HRDs deteriorated even further.
