Opposition MP claims over 41,000 people's right to life has been violated under AKP rule

Duvar English

The right to life of over 41,000 people was violated under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, according to a report prepared by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu.

The report, which looked into rights violations that took place between 2002 and 2019, said that 23,980 people died in on-the-job accidents, which are commonly referred to in Turkey as "job site murders" due to the poor and unsafe conditions in which many people work.

Some 1,532 people were killed in extrajudicial executions and random killings, 337 people died while under their neighborhoods were under curfew, 83 people died while in custody and 674 people were killed in attacks by illegal organizations, the report said.

According to the report, a total of 259 people were killed by unknown assailants and 6,432 women were murdered.

These circumstances together with other human-rights violation-oriented killings account for the total figure of 41,694.

The tenure of the AKP has been defined by a rise in femicides, often committed by loved ones or relatives, as well as a surge in deadly workplace disasters, a result of rapid growth coupled with poor safety standards.

The reported also indicated that 875 children were killed during this period, while just shy of 24,000 people were tortured between 2002 and 2019.

Meanwhile, 721 journalists were arrested over the course of those 17 years, while 199 currently remain behind bars.