Interviewing 2,651 people in 28 provinces throughout Turkey, the survey found that some 82 percent of respondents believe their rights are abused. And within this group, 58 percent say violations occur 'occasionally' while 42 percent say they happen 'frequently', Arti Gerçek said.
Some 80 percent of participants believe that everyone living in Turkey is equal before the law but only 53 percent think that fundamental rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the current laws, according to the survey.
Long legal processes in Turkey are a violation of rights, according to 83 percent of the participants. Meanwhile, almost 44 percent said they could not freely express their opinions on social media and 75 percent said police had no right to resort to violence.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has long been accused of backsliding on democracy and the rule of law in Turkey. The AKP implemented a two-year state of emergency after a failed coup attempt in 2016, strengthening that criticism.
Over 150,000 public officials were dismissed from their jobs and some 77,000 people have been arrested over accusations of being involved in the attempted putsch.
Many of the enhanced powers granted to governors and security forces under emergency rule have been extended under the new executive presidential system, in place since last year.
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