Who We Are

Civic Space Studies Association is an independent human rights organisation founded by young human rights defenders in October 2018. Our core aim is to protect and expand civic space.

In Türkiye, we monitor restrictions on the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, particularly those affecting university students and young people. We document rights violations, make them visible, and develop solidarity mechanisms to address them.

Our work includes research and reporting, student-focused alternative media, legal support and lawyers’ networks, rights-based guides, workshops, campaigns, and advocacy. Through UNİSES, our student news platform, we make students’ experiences and campus issues visible, while our legal support and solidarity networks seek to strengthen students’ access to rights-based remedies.

We oppose all forms of discrimination based on race, language, religion, colour, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, bodily diversity, and disability. We value the participation of women, LGBTIQ+ people, and young people as both priority groups and active contributors to our work.

We are open to collaboration with civil society organisations, platforms, and networks working in the field of human rights. Solidarity, pluralism, and collective knowledge production are at the heart of our work.