From Amnesty.org

In Turkey today, it’s dangerous to speak your mind.

As Turkey approaches two years of a state of emergency, human rights defenders in the country are living in a constant climate of fear. They each either have been detained, prosecuted or threatened, or know many others who have been.

They are careful about what they say, write or tweet. They have small bags ready in case they get the dawn knock on their door, the police coming to take them away.

Their organizations also feel the squeeze, some have even been summarily shut down, leaving swathes of people in need of their support also voiceless.

And none of this is accidental. It’s a deliberate attempt to dismantle independent civil society.

This is why we need to talk about Turkey.

We need to talk about how a nationwide crackdown has resulted in mass arrests and dismissals, the hollowing out of the legal system and the silencing of dissenting voices through threats, harassment, prosecutions and imprisonment.

Full story here: