A 2021 Amnesty International report reveals how Türkiye exploited a 2019 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assessment to expand its repression of civil society under the guise of combating terrorism financing. The report documents systemic abuses, including arbitrary asset freezes, politically motivated prosecutions, and restrictive banking policies targeting NGOs, journalists, and activists—all framed as compliance with FATF standards.
Türkiye’s 2020 Law No. 7262 granted authorities sweeping powers to freeze NGO assets, prosecute activists under vague terrorism charges, and impose invasive financial audits. Over 1,300 NGOs faced arbitrary restrictions between 2017–2021, including Kurdish cultural groups like the People’s Democratic Congress (DTK), which was forced to close after its accounts were frozen. Journalist Ahmet Altan was convicted of “terrorism financing” in 2021 for receiving book royalties, reflecting a broader pattern of criminalizing dissent.
FATF’s 2019 evaluation praised Türkiye’s “progress” on counterterrorism financing without addressing documented human rights violations. This omission emboldened Ankara to escalate restrictions, including mandatory state approval for foreign NGO funding and financial blacklisting of LGBTQ+ and women’s rights organizations like the Women’s Freedom Assembly (KJA). Banks, fearing FATF penalties, denied services to NGOs, pushing them toward unregulated channels.
The report condemns FATF for prioritizing technical compliance over accountability, enabling Türkiye to legitimize repression. FATF’s lack of binding human rights safeguards allowed Ankara to conflate civil society work with terrorism financing, bypassing due process. Amnesty highlights FATF’s failure to audit Türkiye’s enforcement practices or engage with affected NGOs during evaluations.
