About Us
Animal Rights Monitoring Committee (HAKIM) was founded in 2014 by vegan animal liberation activists. Our aim is to carry out activities to ensure the protection of the rights of animals with sensory abilities and emotions.
HAKİM compiles, archives, monitors and reports animal rights violations regardless of species in order to achieve its founding objectives. It shares these reports with the public, conducts legal struggle against violations, establishes relations with parliament and bureaucratic institutions for changes in favor of animals, conducts educational activities with children and young people to raise awareness, and cooperates with different groups and activists to improve the struggle for animal rights.
MONITORING-REPORTING
The Animal Protection Law in Turkey was passed in 2004, but according to this law, the punishment for cruelty to animals was only a monetary fine. By 2011, the law came back to the parliament's agenda, and it remained on the agenda until it was amended in 2021. In 2014, when a new bill was being discussed, our request to define cruelty to animals as a crime was rejected by legislators, claiming that these incidents were isolated. As HAKIM, we started preparing a report on animal rights violations without distinguishing between species to demonstrate that these incidents are not isolated but occur systematically. Our goal was to expose the cruelty towards animals and what was happening behind closed doors, and to press the lawmakers for the legislation to change in favor of animals.
In the bill proposed by the main opposition party in 2021, it was suggested to include animal cruelty as a criminal offense. HAKIM's 2020 report was cited in the preamble of this proposal. With the amended law in 2021, specific actions against animals (such as killing, torture, rape) were criminalised.
We have shared the annual reports we prepared for 2016 and 2020 with the public at a press conference. The numbers in our reports were compiled by gathering information from the news pieces, the answers of the information requests we made to the relevant ministries, the activity reports of the relevant ministries, the notifications sent to us and the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute.
In 2016
- Violation of right to life: AT LEAST 1 billion 156 million 407 thousand 473 (1,156,407,473) animals
- Torture: AT LEAST 8 million 216 thousand 506 (8,216,506) animals
- Restrictions on freedom: AT LEAST 1 billion 505 million 404 thousand 792 (1,505,404,792) animals
- Violation of bodily integrity: AT LEAST 42 million 711 thousand 818 (42,711,818) animals
- Sexual violence: AT LEAST 2 million 979 thousand 758 (2,979,752) animals
In 2020
- Violation of right to life: AT LEAST 1 billion 211 million 375 thousand 950 (1,211,375,950) animals
- Torture: AT LEAST 22 million 735 thousand 267 (22,735,267) animals
- Restrictions on freedom: AT LEAST 1 billion 280 million 153 thousand 923 (1.280.153.923) animals
- Violation of bodily integrity: AT LEAST 53 million 563 thousand 334 (53,563,334) animals
- Sexual violence: AT LEAST 3 million 413 thousand 877 (3,413,877) animals
BUREAUCRATIC RELATIONS
Activities Related to Legislation
The Animal Protection Law was passed in 2004, and in 2011, the parliament started discussing the amendment. The bill prepared by the government, containing provisions against animals, sparked public outrage, leading to numerous protests and actions.
In 2014, the bill presented to the Environmental Commission once again sparked reactions, leading to numerous protests, and the bill was withdrawn. In 2018, the Ministry of Justice prepared a new bill. In this draft, the penalties were very minimal, to the extent that the punishment prescribed for animal abuse, including acts of sexual assault, was only imposed an administrative fine. Due to the ensuing criticism, once again, the bill was withdrawn.
As of 2014, HAKIM participated in parliamentary debates and conveyed animal rights defenders' demands to legislators. By 2018, the Animal Rights Legislation Monitoring Delegation, of which HAKIM was also a founding member, was established. The delegation, comprising over 300 NGOs, began attending parliamentary discussions. In 2019, due to the pressure we generated, the parliament established the Animal Rights Research Commission. Attending commission meetings, we reiterated our requests and highlighted existing issues related to the legislation. In September 2019, the commission published a recommendation-type report, in which many of our demands were accepted as suggestions, and numerous provisions in favor of animals were included. Due to the pandemic, legislative activities were halted in 2020. We tried to keep the issue on the agenda by participating in online events, appearing in news broadcasts, and posting content on social media. In July 2021, as a result of all these pressures, the law was amended. Although many problems remain when it comes to the implementation, with this law, certain actions against animals were defined as crimes for the first time. We keep meeting with political parties and legislators to address these issues that occur in implementation and work for finding solutions.
Numerous protests and press conferences were organized between 2011 and 2021, we have strengthened our collobaratiıns with other organizations, and we have expertised in legislative efforts over the years.
Activities Related to Elections
In the 2019 Local Elections, within the Animal Rights Legislative Monitoring Delegation, activities were undertaken through the 'My Vote is for Animals' campaign to have mayoral candidates sign a 'pledge' committing to work in favor of animals if elected. Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was elected as the mayor of Istanbul, was one of the signatories of this pledge. After he was elected, we urged him to take action, as he had promised, for the horses working in very poor conditions in the phaetons on the Istanbul Islands and to remove the phaetons. Following a 42-day tent vigil in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Ekrem İmamoğlu kept his promise, and the phaetons on the Istanbul Islands were removed. In their place, electric vehicles were introduced, which were also part of our suggestion. When the phaetons were in operation, approximately 1200 horses were exploited across the Islands, and at least 400 horses were losing their lives each year due to poor conditions and hot weather.
In the 2023 General Elections, research was conducted into how and to what extent animals were included in the election promises of political parties. During the election process, efforts were made to inform the public accurately on the subject. We drafted a 'pledge' and directed towards candidates, urging them to sign and commit to it. By announcing the candidates who signed, inviting them to X chat room broadcasts, we sought to create a space for discussing animal rights.
A total of 88 candidates signed this pledge, promising to work for animal rights if elected. 17 of the signatories were elected and the first time in Turkish history that a vegan and a vegetarian parliamentarian entered the parliament.
WORKSHOPS
Speciesism and Animal Rights Workshops for Children
2017 yılında Destekle Değiştir programından aldığımız destek ile Çocuklar İçin Türcülük ve Hayvan Hakları Atölye modelini hazırladık ve açık kaynak olarak yayınladık. Atölyenin amacı 8-12 yaş aralığındaki çocuklara insan merkezci bakışın mutlak değil sorgulanabilir olduğu fikrini oyun, tartışma ve ortak öğrenme modelleri ile fark ettirmek ve çocukların hayvanlar ile daha eşitlikçi bir ilişki kurmasına katkı sağlamaktı.
During the development of the model, we collaborated with teachers, pedagogues, and activists working in the fields of children's, animal´s, and environmental rights. After creating the content, the model was published as open-source following five workshops conducted with children from different socio-economic backgrounds. The model is implemented not only by HAKIM but also by various organizations.
Speciesism and Animal Rights Workshop Model
After observing the effectiveness of children's workshops, in 2018, with the support from the Civil Society Exchange program, we collaborated with our sister organization ALARM from France to develop a workshop model for adults, which we then published as open-source.
The primary objectives of the workshop include raising awareness that animals are sentient beings, fostering an understanding that all lives are equally important for all living beings, informing participants about the speciesist and discriminatory language used in the media, encouraging reflection on how the media should use language, and promoting awareness of animal rights. The workshop model has been implemented since 2018.
Workshops on Combating Sexual Violence Against Animals
Since 2018, we have been collaborating with the Association for Combating Sexual Violence to develop and implement workshops on combating sexual violence against animals. Emphasizing the connection between various forms of discrimination and advocating for veganism, we have conducted this workshop more than 20 times in over four different cities since 2018.
The content of the workshop includes topics such as forms of discrimination, speciesism, the definition and forms of sexual violence against animals, societal perceptions and concepts, animal freedom, rights-based approach, struggle, and responsibilities.
Empowering Animal Rights Activists Workshops
HAKIM aims to strengthen the capacities of animal rights activists by conducting workshops on project writing, campaign preparation, and legal advocacy. In these workshops, HAKIM shares its experience and knowledge on relevant topics, aspiring to enhance the capacity of the animal rights movement in Turkey.
Workshops have been implemented both online and in-person with the participation of five different animal rights organizations including the university communities, civil initiatives, and associations. The content is open-source.
LEGAL STRUGGLE
One of HAKIM's founding objectives is to legally defend animals and work towards legislative changes that favor animals. Before the legal amendment in 2021, the offenses committed against stray animals were only subject to administrative fines; they were not taken to court. If an animal was under someone's responsibility, that person could be prosecuted for the crime of "damaging property," but organizations could not intervene in these cases. Since the amendment in July 2021, our legal team consisting of lawyers, has been monitoring 45 cases, and some are still ongoing. The subjects of these cases include crimes committed by municipalities against stray animals, sexual violence against animals, as well as cases of killing and torture.
HAKIM also engages in legal battles related to hunting, animal experiments, animal shelters, and dolphin parks.
In 2020, we intervened in the case filed for the cancellation of the decision to hunt 47 Capra aegagrus in Isparta and Antalya. As a result, the decision was annulled, and 47 Capra Aegagrus were saved.
In 2021, in collaboration with the Turkey Vegan Society, we filed a lawsuit requesting the cancellation of the auction for the hunting of 75 Capra aegagrus in five different cities. The lawsuit was accepted, and the auction was canceled.
In 2018, we won the lawsuit against the improper selection of members of the Animal Experiments Center Ethics Committee (HADMEK), the authoritative board on animal testing in Turkey, works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the rule was approved by the higher court in 2021. However, HADMEK rejected our request for member change stating that they will change the regulation. We filed a criminal complaint against the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, after which a representative from animal rights associations was elected as a member of HADMEK.
In 2022, in collaboration with the Freedom for Dolphins Platform, we filed a criminal complaint against a dolphinarium in Marmaris, and conducted a simultaneous campaign on social media. Although the criminal complaint was rejected due to the inadequacy of the legislation, we obtained a lot of visual and written official documents on the operation of dolphinariums in Turkey, and another case was opened thanks to these documents. The dolphinarium in question was shut down in 2023 as a result of the public reaction.
We have also compiled the most frequently asked questions that HAKIM receives and prepared a series of Frequently Asked Questions for the Legal Struggle to help more people understand how they can use the law to fight for animals.
CAMPAIGNS
Shut Down the Kısırkaya Concentration Camp
In 2014, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) built an animal shelter with a capacity for 20,000 dogs in Kısırkaya, Istanbul. The location of the construction did not comply with the regulations for establishing an animal shelter, and this facility, built as a profit-seeking project far away from the city, seemed to be a grave for the animals living in Istanbul.
Upon learning about the completion of the construction, and recognizing it as an urban issue, collaboration was initiated with environmental organizations. We, along with the Northern Forests Defense and Istanbul City Defense, organized a campaign. We conducted protests and press conferences, consistently brought the issue to the attention of the media, and as HAKIM, filed a lawsuit for the cancellation of the facility. After a long struggle, we won the lawsuit. During the campaign, we learned that a new facility of similar size would be constructed in another part of Istanbul. We took preventive measures by filing the necessary applications before construction began, successfully preventing the establishment of the new facility. Through this campaign, we had the opportunity to work closely with urban movements for the first time, enhancing our experience in collaboration.
Vegan Meal Campaign for Osman Evcan
Vegan prisoner Osman Evcan did not receive vegan food while incarcerated. Osman responded by going on a hunger strike, which led activists to start a campaign in his honor. After the campaign's success, the "Regulation on the Provision of Food to Convicts and Detainees and the Personnel of Penal Execution Institutions" was changed in 2012. With this modification, convicts who are vegetarians or vegans are now entitled to vegan meals.
Practical issues, however, arose when prison administrations refused to serve vegan food, served food that was too nutrient-dense, or served food that inmates were not allowed to eat as a form of punishment. In 2015, 2017, and 2018, Osman launched hunger strikes again in response to these difficulties.
Law for Life
In January 2021, we launched the "Law for Life Campaign" in cooperation with approximately 300 organizations that we had previously collaborated with, in response to the pandemic's disruption of the planned changes to the Animal Protection Law.
The goal was to maintain the matter on the agenda, restate our expectations, and push for the amendments that were required. We conducted a lot of interviews, wrote articles, planned demonstrations and press conferences, and produced social media content to spread awareness throughout the campaign. In July 2021, the result of all these efforts was a modification in the law.
Watch of Life
In December 2019, a number of groups united after 80 horses used for horse-drawn carriage rides in the Princes' Islands were killed due to glanders illness. They reminded Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) President Ekrem İmamoğlu of his promise to eliminate horse-drawn carriages before being elected and organized a protest in front of the IBB building. After the protest, the park in front of the IBB building was occupied, and it was communicated to the press and IBB authorities that the area would not be vacated until horse-drawn carriages were removed. For 41 days, activists stayed in this area, conducted various protests, and had multiple meetings with officials. On the 41st day, the IBB pledged to remove the phaetons, and these carriages were eventually removed.
The occupied area was named in honour of our comrade Burak Özgüner, one of the founders of HAKİM, who passed away in November 2019 and the area has been called the "Burak Özgüner Life Space."
EVENTS
Festival
Since the Animal Rights Monitoring Committee was founded, we have either worked with or taken part in vegan festivals. In the Didim Vegfest organized by Didim Municipality in 2017, 2019, and 2023, we facilitated children's and adult workshops, delivered a speech on violence against animals and impunity, and conducted a workshop on how to use the law more effectively for animals.
In 2020, we collaborated with the Vegan Society Turkey (TVD) as stakeholders and speakers at the international Istanbul Vegfest they organized. We also participated as speakers in TVD's festival in 2021 and 2022.
2017 ve 2023 yıllarında International Animal Rights Conference (Lüksemburg) e katılarak Türkiye’de hayvan haklarının durumunu anlattığımız sunumlar yaptık.
In 2017, we participated in Festiv ALARM organized by our sister organization ALARM in France, delivering a presentation on developments related to animal rights in Turkey.
We attended the International Animal Rights Gathering in Izmir in 2023, where we made a presentation about research on grant opportunities.
Animal Rights Congresses of Bar Associations
Since its establishment, HAKIM has placed a high priority on legal advocacy, which has resulted in its active involvement in congresses on animal rights hosted by bar associations. HAKIM has endeavored to provide attorneys with an extensive knowledge of animal rights during these gatherings, highlighting veganism and working to support their conversion.
HAKIM has participated in the animal rights congresses organized by the Istanbul Bar Association, Ankara Bar Association, Izmir Bar Association, Diyarbakir Bar Association, and Gaziantep Bar Association.
Activities in High School and University
HAKIM gives lectures on animal rights at universities, takes part in school events, and attends student-organized summits upon invitation. Several universities, including Boğaziçi University, Bilgi University, Marmara University, Özyeğin University, Bahçeşehir University, Bilkent University, and TOBB University of Economics and Technology, have had HAKIM as a guest. HAKIM has held workshops and provided answers to students' inquiries regarding animal rights at the high school level, at the invitation of Enka Schools, Doğa College, and Robert College.
"As those who want absolute freedom for animals, humans and nature, that is, for everyone without exception, we will keep changing the world from where we stand, with our defiance, with our joy, with our rage..."