Stockholm Center for Freedom

Stockholm Center for Freedom
AbbreviationSCF
TypeAdvocacy organization
Legal statusNon-profit organization
PurposeHuman rights, press freedom
HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
Region served
Worldwide (focus: Turkey)
Official language
English, Turkish
Founder
Abdullah Bozkurt
Secretary General
Levent Kenez
Websitestockholmcf.org

Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) is a Sweden-based non-profit advocacy organization. It advocates for the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. The group primarily focusing on press freedom and human rights issues in Turkey. Founded in 2017 in Stockholm by exiled Turkish journalists, SCF was established by Abdullah Bozkurt with Levent Kenez serving as Secretary General.[1] Both fled Turkey amid media crackdowns following the 2016 coup attempt.[2][3]

History

SCF emerged from Turkey's post-2016 coup purges. These actions closed over 200[4] media outlets. They also detained many journalists accused of coup ties.[5] Now based in Stockholm, SCF tracks daily rights violations. It documents cases and issues reports on Turkey's human rights record. The group sometimes covers other countries as well.[1]

Activities and reports

SCF publishes news, commentaries, and thematic reports in English and Turkish. Topics include arbitrary detentions, torture claims, censorship, hate speech against refugees, and misuse of anti-terror laws. It has submitted shadow reports to UN bodies like the Human Rights Committee. These cover biased parole denials in prisons, over 130,000 public servant dismissals via emergency decrees, and 2023 blocks on 197,000 domains plus thousands of social media posts.[6]

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,[7] DFAT,[8] Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,[9] European Parliament,[10] United Nations Human Rights Council,[11] and the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers[12] have cited the Stockholm Center for Freedom's (SCF) research and reports on human rights issues in Turkey.

The group is a member of the Alliance Against Genocide.[13]

Allegations and criticism

Turkish government officials and pro-government media accuse SCF of ties to the Gülen movement.[14] Turkey designates the movement a terrorist organization and holds it responsible for the 2016 coup attempt. These claims stem from founder Abdullah Bozkurt's prior role as bureau chief at the English edition of Zaman newspaper, which is described as Gülen-aligned.[15] Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Bozkurt and Kenez and portrays SCF as a Gülen-linked entity.[16][17] In contrast, international bodies such as the European Union,[18][19] United Nations,[11] and European Court of Human Rights,[9] along with countries like the United States,[20] United Kingdom,[21] Canada[7] and Australia,[8] do not endorse Turkey's designation of the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization.

SCF describes itself as an independent human rights advocacy group and criticizes the criminalization of journalists and civil society actors under Turkey's anti-terror framework.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Us". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sweden: Exiled Turkish journalist attacked in Stockholm". International Federation of Journalists. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  3. ↑ "Levent Kenez, novinar, ki ga išče Ankara: Ni me strah, da bi me izročili Turčiji". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Turkey". U.S. Department of State. 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Free Turkey Media". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Reports". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. "Responses to Information Requests". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Country Information Report: Turkey" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  9. 1 2 Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (24 June 2022). Should politicians be prosecuted for statements made in the exercise of their mandate?: follow-up of Resolution 2381 (2021) (PDF) (Follow-up report). Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. AS/Jur (2022) 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  10. ↑ Wandall, Rasmus H.; Suter, Dan; Ivan-Cucu, Gabriela (17 January 2019). Misuse of Interpol's Red Notices and impact on human rights: recent developments (PDF) (Study). European Parliament. Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union. EXPO/B/DROI/FWC/2013-08/Lot8/22; PE 603.472. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. 1 2 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (12 November 2019). "Summary of Stakeholders' submissions on Turkey" (Working Group report). United Nations Human Rights Council. A/HRC/WG.6/35/TUR/3. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "DH-DD(2024)263: Rule 9.2 Communication from NGOs in Kavala v. Türkiye" (Rule 9.2 NGO submission). Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. 2024. DH-DD(2024)263E. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Stockholm Center for Freedom". Alliance Against Genocide. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Article Title". TRT World. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "176 kişi İsveç'e iltica etti". CNN Türk (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Turkish Minute (20 November 2025). "Sweden rejects Turkey's extradition request for journalist Abdullah Bozkurt". Turkish Minute. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  17. ↑ "Swedish Supreme Court rejects Turkey's request to extradite journalist". Nordic Monitor. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  18. ↑ Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu. "EU says needs concrete evidence from Turkey to deem Gulen network as terrorist". U.K. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "German Intelligence Chief Bruno Kahl: Interview". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "US: We See Neither Gülen Movement nor YPG as Terror Organization". bianet.org. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  21. ↑ "Repression or recovery? UK's relations with Turkey - Committees - UK Parliament". committees.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
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