Mardin welcomes President in 4 languages…

Cumhurbaşkanı Gül Mardin'de
And there were Turkish, Arabic and Syrian in addition to Kurdish banners..

Kurdish language program at university sign of Turkish prosperity, says Gül

from Hurriyet Dailynews
Different cultures contribute to Turkey?s prosperity, President Abdullah Gül said at a ground-breaking ceremony in the southeastern Anatolian province of Mardin on Monday.

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Chief prosecutor oversteps authority with ?memorandum?

Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya continued to attract harsh criticism for his statements threatening political parties that are seeking a solution to Turkey?s long-standing headscarf ban.

Kılıçdaroğlu falters before Baykalism

by HASAN CEMAL – MILLIYET
The Republican People?s Party (CHP) spokesmen proposing preconditions to their support for a solution of the headscarf problem are only making finding a solution harder.

What will become of Mrs. Gül?s concerns?

by ORAL ÇALIŞLAR-  RADIKAL
When President Abdullah Gül announced his bid to run for the presidency in 2007, the General Staff released a memorandum against him on April 27 in which it expressed that it sees him as ?an enemy of the Turkish Republic.?

HSYK elections

by GÜLAY GÖKTÜRK – BUGÜN
A reform package approved in a referendum held on Sept. 12 changed the rules so that Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) members are elected by more judges and prosecutors, thereby breaking the caste system in the judiciary and ensuring a more democratic structure of the board.

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Chief prosecutor, CHP alliance

Hopes for a solution to Turkey?s long-standing headscarf problem were dashed on Wednesday by Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya and the Republican People?s Party (CHP).

Welcome Abdurrahman!

by ELIF ÇAKIR-  STAR
We have gone back and forth and in the end ended up where we started, thank God! The chief prosecutor at the Supreme Court of Appeals has fulfilled his historic mission and again threatened political parties that talk about a solution to the headscarf problem, even if only at universities.


The proof of the pudding

from Bosphorus Diary by Yavuz Baydar

In the wake of the referendum, the inevitable is already fully visible. The result has paved the way for a new phase — certainly promising ups, as well as downs — in the democratization process. The inevitable is the fact that society is now involved in interpreting the meaning of the changes already launched.
Initial indications of the implementation of the new rules, the restructuring the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), have been rather strongly expressed dissatisfaction at the outcome of the vote which elected 10 new members to the body. In an unprecedented format of democratic elections almost 12 thousand judges and prosecutors participated in the process.
Then all hell broke loose. Pundits in the media known for their pro-status quo stand cried foul, claiming that those who were elected — with great margins in votes — were all favored and endorsed by the Ministry of Justice. Some went even further to argue that the ?separation of powers? was now in the coffin, ready to be buried.

The Hanefi Avcı affair: A dramatic detective story (1) by FARUK MERCAN


When an incident or a scandal breaks, it is only natural for people to initially experience shock, especially if the protagonist of the event is an unexpected person. This is followed by the process of understanding the other side of the incident in question.

The Hanefi Avcı affair: a dramatic detective story (2) by FARUK MERCAN


Sarp Kuray, a former naval officer accused of having founded the 16 Haziran (or June 16) terrorist organization, says: ?…The people who staged those attacks without my orders are freely walking around outside.


FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Headscarf and provocations

by FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
Nowadays, while Turkey discusses a solution to the country?s long-standing headscarf problem, which has deprived thousands of women access to a higher education, there is growing concern among some circles in society about possible provocations that might negatively affect the solution process.

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