July 14, 2008
July 09, 2008
"Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media
Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media
Cengiz ÇANDARBlocked and blurred, Dink trial feeds sense of despair
Attending proceedings of the Hrant Dink murder trial has always been a painful experience. For those of us journalists whose careers have been full of experiences of the never-ending legal and illegal processes against Turkey's intellectuals -- free speech "violations" or assassinations -- it is like a watching the same movie and knowing how it will end.Continue reading ""Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media" »
June 14, 2008
"One more high-ranking officer confesses in Dink murder...
Apparently, Dink's murder was condoned!
Mehmet Ali BirandOne more high-ranking officer confesses in Dink murder
The former head of the intelligence unit in the Black Sea province of Trabzon where Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink's murderer came from testified he was aware of plans to kill theContinue reading ""One more high-ranking officer confesses in Dink murder..." »
February 25, 2008
on February 25
on February 25
to the court
for Hrant,
for Justice!
As the victims and watchers
of the Hrant Dink case,
with the wish that yet another one be added
to the developments increasing our hope in recent days,
for Hrant, for Justice
we are meeting
on 25 February 2008 Monday
at 9.30 in the morning
at the Beşiktaş port!
FRIENDS OF HRANT
January 22, 2008
"Is the Erdoğan-Sarkozy-Merkel summit a trap?
Is the Erdoğan-Sarkozy-Merkel summit a trap?
The upcoming summit between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, French President Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already started to elicit reactions within the EU.Continue reading ""Is the Erdoğan-Sarkozy-Merkel summit a trap?" »
January 20, 2008
"We remember Hrant!
Salih Memecan in Sabah sums up the anniversary...
I and Çetin and later Sinan ended up close to 3 o'clock and the event was already ending. Most of the people I know were already there at 2 pm. From the Mecidiyeköy, there were more policemen than demonstrators and we got a bit disappointed but later realized that most people were crowded in between Şişli and Taksim.
Apart from nationalist and some radical Islamist press, there is a consensus of lament on Dink's case. However, some, I believe, is doing so because of the consensus itself. In everyday life, there is little consensus though and I happen to see some smart ass strategies to downplay the seriousness of Dink's assassination. One blogger writing in Turkish first disarms the reader by stating that he is against all assassinations like this but then labels Dink as a "fascist". He uses the court's indictments on Dink to assert his case. That what he said about Turks...
After the April elections, ultranationalism among the white Turks resume its dormant state but cases like this their ideological persuasion comes back...
BBC NEWS | Europe | Dink murder still divides Turks
January 19, 2008
"Hrant Dink: a life unfinished
On January 19th,
at Three O'clock,
at the Same Spot�
It's been a whole year
since we were parted from
our beloved friend, our treasure,
truth sayer, dearest Hrant.
We have spent this whole long year
mourning for the colours
that were lost to our lives with Hrant�s departure.
We, the citizens of this country,
do not want to get inured to
living in a dove's skittishness,
among unresolved assassinations.
As dignified crowds that do not breed
hatred from this inconceivable murder,
to illuminate the darkness
that creates assassins from babies,
to claim a bright future for our country,
to together carry the load of our deep grief,
as the victims and watchers of the Hrant Dink case,
we are meeting on January 19th..
Irrespective of religion, language,
race, gender, and political opinion,
we are gathering as citizens
who believe in the brotherhood of peoples.
For Hrant, for Justice,
On January 19th,
at Three O'clock,
at the Same Spot�
FRIENDS OF HRANT
January 18, 2008
"Murder Cases Underscore Troubles with Judicial, Police Reform
EurasiaNet Turkey: Murder Cases Underscore Troubles with Judicial, Police Reform
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER The country has continued to be scandalized by reports that have come to light amid the trial of the five people charged in the case. Among the more sordid allegations is that police officers may have colluded in the killings, and that investigators have mismanaged the criminal probe.
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER The country has continued to be scandalized by reports that have come to light amid the trial of the five people charged in the case. Among the more sordid allegations is that police officers may have colluded in the killings, and that investigators have mismanaged the criminal probe.
Continue reading ""Murder Cases Underscore Troubles with Judicial, Police Reform" »
January 17, 2008
Gov't's Alevi initiative; never ending turban controversy; TR-US relations and more...
Turkey Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (4th L sitting) attends a fast-breaking dinner in Ankara January 11, 2008. Erdogan tried on Friday to reassure Turkey's Alevi Muslim minority, who often complain of official discrimination, that their rights are fully respected and that they are a valued part of the nation.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Erkan's note: One angle I might be interested in Alevi initiative is that the State might start codification of Alevism. Even if the government wants to do something positive for Alevi constituencies, the problem is to find out what to do. Unlike Sunnism, Alevism is unorthodox, more based on oral traditions and too difficult to homogenize at this state. In the coming days, there might be some moves towards making Alevism a codified religious practice. Just an idea...
Alevis’ dilemma
As part of efforts to eliminate distrust of the state among the country’s Alevi community, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended an Alevi fast-breaking dinner last week where he sought to reassure the Alevis that their rights are fully respected and that they are a valued part of the nation.January 16, 2008
Get ready for 19 January!
There will be a couple of activities in the first anniversary of Hrant Dink's murder. the major one will take place in front of Agos weekly where people will gather at 15:00 on Jan 19.
January 15, 2008
Arundhati Roy in Istanbul for Hrant Dink
Boğaziçi University
Department of History
and
Department of Political Science and International Relations
present
2008 Hrant Dink Memorial Lecture
on
Freedom of Expression and Human Rights
Arundhati Roy
Listening to Grasshoppers
January 18, 2008, 15:00, Albert Long Hall (BTS), South Campus
The talk will be presented in English
January 04, 2008
Hrant Dink's murderer may be considered adult with recent report...
Journalist's murderer may be considered adult with recent report
The age of O.S. suspected of murdering Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, has been ascertained as 19 on Jan. 19, 2007, the day the murder was
Continue reading "Hrant Dink's murderer may be considered adult with recent report..." »
January 03, 2008
"Re-opened Christian murder case described as test for Turkey
Christian Today > Re-opened Christian murder case described as test for Turkey
The decision to reopen a murder case which involved the killing of three Christian workers in Turkey by the Turkish Interior Ministry is describe as a test case by a Christian persecution-monitoring ministry."...
Priest murders
There are people in Turkey aiming to play into the hands of the segments of Europe which, for many reasons, remain doubtful about Turkey. The easiest way to do this is to target priests in Turkey.
Neo-Nazi REP's election campaign poster in Germany. Yalçın Doğan states (in Turkish) that while Turks focus on Sarkozy, new anti-Turkish campaigning at the level of "crusades" emerge in Germany.
Continue reading ""Re-opened Christian murder case described as test for Turkey" »
December 14, 2007
"New YÖK head gives green light for headscarf in universities
The new YÖK chair, headscarf ban, Kurdish question, a possible amnesty for PKK members are busy-ing our minds as well as Sarkozy's love for Turks...
Leaving terrorists in the mountain or pulling them down
Cengiz ÇANDAR
Turkey's Chief of Staff General Yasar Buyukanit (C) attends a conference flanked by Sea Forces Commander General Muzaffer Metin Atac (L) and Air Force Commander General Aydogan Babaoglu (R) in Ankara December 11, 2007.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)
New YÖK head gives green light for headscarf in universities
The newly appointed Higher Education Board (YÖK) president in his first comments has promised to deliver a new liberal era for universities, hinting that his priority is to lift all bans in institutions of higher education and to boost scientific research. Yusuf Ziya Özcan, a sociologyEastern Kemalists, Too, Do Not Understand Turkey
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] In last weekend's edition of the Turkish Daily News, fellow columnist Orhan Kemal Cengiz had a brilliant piece titled “Western Kemalists do not understand Turkey.” His main point was that “Western Kemalists,” who are “huge fans of Atatürk and the ‘revolution' he and his friends brought about in our country” fail to get Turkey right. They, for example, unquestioningly buy into the creation myth of Republican Turkey — that the pre-Republican (i.e., Ottoman) period was an age of “darkness.” By showing several examples, Mr. Cengiz argued otherwise.The headscarf ban
Debates on the Islamic headscarf in Turkey began as early as the 1960s, when students began showing up at university campuses with their heads covered. Up to that point, IslamicIs the headscarf a political symbol?
There have always been a series of topics that we pull onto the agenda to debate in a false frenzy in Turkey, even when these topics don’t necessarily correspond to any real societal tension.Perceptions of Kurds and Turks by BEJAN MATUR
Discussions over a legal instrument that will ensure that those in mountains abandon violence have restarted. We all wonder how effective implementation of the projected law will affect central politics.
Thousands of Turks, holding national flags and posters of modern Turkey's founder Kemal Ataturk, joined prosecutors and lawyers who were protesting a government regulation to recruit attorneys, in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007. A new legislation by Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, which has its roots in political Islam, requires the judges and prosecutors to be interviewed by the Justice Ministry to get hired. Critics say the new regulation might politicize the judiciary and harm its impartiality.
(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)Media watchdog names Hrant Dink 'World Press Freedom Hero'
The International Press Institute named Hrant Dink, the murdered editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Ago, as one of its World Press Freedom Heroes on Monday. "Hrant Dink'sTurkey's Iraqi border and Barzani
Orhan KİLERCİOĞLUWhat does Erdoğan think?
The issue is the threat posed by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt and Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ergin Saygun have interesting takes on this issue.
Fenerbahce supporters celebrate their team's 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow in their Champions League Group G soccer match at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul December 12, 2007.
REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)Continue reading ""New YÖK head gives green light for headscarf in universities" »
November 28, 2007
"A Chronology: Hrant Dink Murder
A Chronology: Hrant Dinks Murder
Biamag - İstanbul,Turkey
The murder of Agos newspaper's editor-in-chief Hrant Dink on 19 January 2007 in front of his newspaper's office in Sisli, central Istanbul, shocked both ...
Latif Demirci in Hürriyet. PM Erdoğan waiting in the arrivals section for the PKK leaders...
Monthly Review: Notes on the Istanbul Al-Quds Conference
by Salim Nazzal
One extremely positive aspect of the recent Istanbul Al-Quds International Forum is that it took place at all, despite Israeli pressures. It had been known from the beginning that Israel was not happy about any activity that might disrupt the music of the Annapolis orchestra.
Despite the Erdogan government's relative strength in resisting the Israeli pressure, however, it was observed that the lack of any official Turkish government representation at the opening of the conference could be interpreted as meaning that the Turkish government had taken two factors into consideration; the first of these is the fact that its popular base is supportive of Palestine, particularly over the question of Al-Quds (Jerusalem). This situation was reflected in the determination of the Turkish hosts to hold the conference “in the street if the government tries to stop it,” as a leading Turkish figure who was one of the conference organizers, told me. ............................
A timely turbulence for Kurds
Whether there is a master plan to deal with the Kurdish question in Turkey is still a matter of speculation, but one point is clear:The search for tolerance
Turkey is a mosaic. Or so the cliché runs. It is a metaphor in praise of multi-culturalism, a liberal-minded suggestion that the grand design is far more interesting than the component pieces.
Qantara.de - The Case of Hrant Dink - Incitement to Violence as Free Speech
October 03, 2007
"Dink case a critical test for Turkish judiciary
Tend to Turkey - Council on Foreign Relations
by Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Fall 2007 Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
Women condemn Turkey constitution
Women's groups in Turkey attack a new draft constitution, saying it will damage gender equality. 
Sub-commission formed to inquire Dink and Okey murders
The Human Rights Commission of the Parliament decided to form a sub-commission to work on the assassinations of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and Nigerian migrant Festus Okey, who...
‘Without further delay’
“Love it or leave it.” As we stood at the entrance of the courthouse in the Beşiktaş district on Monday morning -- a handful of journalists, colleagues and friends of Hrant Dink -- it was as if the emblem on the front of the van that brought his murderer and alleged helpers was put there deliberately.
Déjà vu
I had a feeling of déjà vu on Monday morning as a small crowd of reporters, well-wishers, human rights activists and foreign observers, hoping and doubting in equal measure that a fair outcome would be reached, gathered in front of the criminal court in Beşiktaş for the second hearing of the Hrant Dink murder trial. Claudia Roth, a German Green Party politician who has been a steadfast supporter of a democratic Turkey in Europe, as well as a staunch critic of human rights violations, was there hoping justice would be done.
Dink case a critical test for Turkish judiciary
The second trial of the defendants accused of assassinating Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, killed in January by an ultranationalist youth for allegedly insulting Turkishness, took place on Monday.Continue reading ""Dink case a critical test for Turkish judiciary" »
October 01, 2007
Turkish suspect in Dink trial says ordered to kill...
Turkish suspect in Dink trial says ordered to kill | Reuters
Dink suspect 'was high on drugs'
Ogun Samast has reportedly confessed to killing Mr Dink
A Turkish teenager accused of killing Hrant Dink tells a court he was high on drugs when he shot the journalist in January........
A notorious liar
by Hans A.H.C. de Wit
By calling the people who made a video with his latest hit as 'The ones who made it have no character. It’s not suitable with my character and beliefs', he is a real joker. Okay, take away the video, and listen to his song only. A song where he implicitly is telling that people like the murdered Hrant Dink have to watch out........
YAVUZ BAYDAR: The same old ground
Tomorrow, another round in the trial of the Dink murder begins. Again, as expected, his colleagues and friends, loved ones and relatives will gather to witness the proceedings. Perhaps some quiet demonstrations will occur before the trial, as happened last time.
Şahin Alpay: What does the draft constitution signify?
In the first week of June, at the start of their campaign in early elections, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Professor Ergun Özbudun, a liberal and highly esteemed political scientist and constitutional lawyer, and asked him to form a group of experts to prepare a draft for a new “civilian” and “democratic” constitution, as promised in the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) election manifesto.
Atalay must clean up the police
Interior Minister Beşir Atalay is a serious man. He cannot bear injustice. He dislikes small games and disruption at state level. He is an orderly human being. I cannot imagine him ignoring the...
Continue reading "Turkish suspect in Dink trial says ordered to kill..." »
Hrant Dink assassination trial today!
Today in Beşiktaş at 9:30.
Demonstrators hold up placards which read: "We all are Hrant Dink, we all are Armenians" during the trial of the suspects charged with the killing of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink outside a court in Istanbul October 1, 2007. The banner in front reads: "We all are witnesses, we want justice". REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Rakel Dink (R), widow of slain Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink, and her daughter Delal (L) arrive at court in Istanbul October 1, 2007. REUTERS
September 16, 2007
Such boldness...
A populist and low-brow singer, İsmail Türüt, has recently released a song in which there are implications of praise for the Hrant Dink assassins. This song was then used by a Turk who is allegedly living in Austria in a video that was published in YouTube that explicitly praises the assassination. How can Mr. Türüt dare to produce such a song? It is time for some harsh measures...
Speaking of Hrant Dink, here is a round-up related to the aftermath of ADL's acceptance of the Armenian genocide claims:
July 26, 2007
"Election shows widespread partisanship in media
"Election shows widespread partisanship in media A large number of journalists who iterated many times ahead of the election that a landslide victory for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was unlikely were not only badly mistaken, but also apparently indifferent to the nation's attitude and demands, election results showed.
When veteran pollster Tarhan Erdem, just two days before the election released the results of an election survey, which ultimately proved almost 100 percent correct, many journalists in the Turkish media lashed out at him, accusing him of partisanship and unscientific survey methodology. Many journalists who publicly declared the party or candidate they voted for coincidentally had election estimates closer to their leanings.
www.hurriyet.com.tr becomes the most visited Turkish newspaper site. The newspaper explains the novelties that led to the top place here.
Speaking of journalism, I remember the latest Freedom House report:
Freedom in the World - Turkey (2007)
| Population: 73,700,000 Capital: Ankara |
Political Rights Score: 3
Civil Liberties Score: 3
Status: Partly Free
Overview
Formal European Union accession talks, officially launched in 2005, were partially halted in December 2006; support for Turkish membership continued to fall in both the EU and Turkey itself during the year. Meanwhile, violence in predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey grew increasingly out of control, and a new Kurdish rebel group claimed responsibility for bombings throughout the country.
In other developments,
Continue reading ""Election shows widespread partisanship in media" »
July 11, 2007
"SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH TURKISH-ARMENIAN EDITOR ETYEN MAHCUPYAN
"SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH TURKISH-ARMENIAN EDITOR ETYEN MAHCUPYAN
Dink's Murder Was 'Planned by a Bigger Network'
Etygen Mahcupyan, the editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos, spoke to DER SPIEGEL about the trial of the alleged killers of his predecessor Hrant Dink.": Dink's Murder Was 'Planned by a Bigger Network'
In the mean time,
Barroso says EU is an 'empire'; The EU is not just any old international organisation, nor is it a
superstate, but it might just be an "empire," according to European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.
Cengiz Aktar in What do the competing parties say about EU membership?
Continue reading ""SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH TURKISH-ARMENIAN EDITOR ETYEN MAHCUPYAN" »
July 05, 2007
"Turkey on trial as suspects claim state collusion in writer's killing...
Police: Hayal organizer of Dink murder
Yasin Hayal, suspected of inciting the murder of prominent Turkish - Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, established ‘a group based on friendship' to act against Dink, the Security General Directorate....
Independent: Turkey on trial as suspects claim state collusion in writer's killing
Social issues move to top of EU Presidency agenda
Ten years after the European Employment Strategy was launched, the Portuguese EU Presidency has declared jobs and social issues as its top priorities, as ministers gather for an informal summit in Guimarães.
DOSSIER: How should Europe tackle terrorism? | 04/07/2007
In the aftermath of the failed terrorist attacks in Great Britain, the media discuss the appropriate and effective means for fighting terrorism. While the British remain calm, others call for stricter controls and increased surveillance.
EU to outlaw internet bomb making sites Placing instructions on bomb making on the web will be a criminal offence with ISPs facing charges for not blocking pages...
Turkey's Evolving Anti-Terrorism Measures on the Iraqi Border Global Terrorism Analysis
Continue reading ""Turkey on trial as suspects claim state collusion in writer's killing..." »
July 04, 2007
"Turkey on trial as "Probe widened in Hrant Dink's death
AP:
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- A Turkish court has decided to broaden the investigation into the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist to consider allegations of official negligence in the slaying, a lawyer said Tuesday. After a 12-hour hearing on Monday, the court released four of the 18 suspects implicated in the killing of Hrant Dink, who was gunned down on Jan. 19, until the resumption of the trial on Oct. 1."
Turks Widen Probe of Journalist's Death
İlnur Çevik Turkish judiciary put to test with Dink trial
FP Blog: Turkey on trial
Legendary Anatolian rocker (left) ends up supporting the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). A significant example of "politics makes strange bed fellows" frequently seen in Turkish politics recently... Sabah
Continue reading ""Turkey on trial as "Probe widened in Hrant Dink's death" »
July 03, 2007
"How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism
How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism - Salon.com
For the complete report go to Salon.com or click on this link
The basic argument is not new in historical circles. The theory is that the incursions of the Ottoman Empire -- all the way to the gates of Vienna! -- forced European principalities to stop squabbling against each other and join forces against a common enemy. This is supposed to have had a huge impact on the ability of fledgling Protestantism to survive the bloody Counter-Reformation. Even mighty Catholic potentates like Charles V and the King of the Hapsburgs Ferdinand I were forced to grant concessions to German Protestants in order to gain their help in fighting off the Turk. (via)
Turkey's pace of growth quickens
Turkey's economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, presenting the outgoing government with a boost for its economic campaign ahead of a general election...
Demonstrators hold up placards which read: "We all are Hrant Dink, we all are Armenians" before the trial of the suspects charged with the killing of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink starts at a Turkish court in Istanbul July 2, 2007. The banner in front reads: "We all are witnesses". The trial of the suspects charged with killing the editor began on Monday. (TURKEY) REUTERS/Stringer
Looks like our dear blogger-mate Murat is in the bandwagon of Turkish nationalism though...
Dink murder trial underway
The trial of 18 defendants – including the suspected assassin who is a minor – charged in connection with the murder of prominent journalist of Armenian origins Hrant Dink opened yesterday‘EU lacks a broad vision'
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül accused the European Union Sunday of playing “petty games”.....
On the new EU Treaty
Cengiz AKTAR
The secret behind the Dolmabahçe meeting
Mehmet Ali Birand
Let's get used to live with the DTP!
Cüneyt ÜLSEVER
Turkish philosopher İnam: I want to surprise Europeans | |||
| Head of the philosophy department at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), Professor Ahmet İnam compares Turkish culture to a ship.
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The EU train trundling on, but is Turkey on board?
Doğu Ergil: The Hudson affair
From the Reflection Cafe archives:
TURKEY-EU RELATIONS
Does "Muslim" Turkey Belong in "Christian" Europe?, The Pew Forum
The EU and Turkey: Call For A Virtuous Circle of Credible Commitment, Olli Rehn
Some Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership (III), The Reflection Café
Some Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership (II), The Reflection Café
Some Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership, The Reflection Café
Turkey and the European Tent, YaleGlobal
Should Turkey join the EU?, BBC
European Integration and the Transformation of Turkish Democracy, S.Aydin & F.KeymanSome Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership (III), The Reflection Café
Some Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership (II), The Reflection Café
Some Ideas on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership, The Reflection Café
Turkey and the European Tent, YaleGlobal
Should Turkey join the EU?, BBC
Turkey on the Threshold: Europe’s Decision and U.S. Interests, The Atlantic Council
The Turkish Military's March Toward Europe, Ersel Aydinli, N.A. Özcan, and D. Akyaz
Secularism: The Turkish Experience, Omer Baristiran (Ed.)
Continue reading ""How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism" »
July 02, 2007
Dink murder trial opens in Turkey
Dink murder trial opens in Turkey; Eighteen people go on trial in Istanbul over the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
Hrant Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices
Hrant Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices
Why they killed Hrant Dink?
Following the protests at the murder of Hrant Dink, observers hoped that prime minister Tayyip Erdogan would be forced to take action against the growing wave of ultra-nationalism in Turkey. That nothing happened ought to be no surprise, writes Maureen Freely. After all, it's the State and not the government that runs Turkey. And what the State wants, the State gets.........
Lawyer: Dink murder may be linked to Ümraniye gang
Amnesty International Calls for Real Justice for Slain Turkish-Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink
there is another trial in İzmir!
Mustafa Akyol in Atilla Yayla and the Emperor’s latest clothes
We are not supposed to explore facts about Atatürk to figure out who he really was. No. Our elders have already figured out who he was, and facts are simply irrelevant – and sometimes even criminal. ....on July 2, a Turkish professor will be on trial in İzmir. The prosecutor will ask the judges that he should be put in prison for three years for the crime he committed in the same city about six months ago. The alleged felony is not something like theft, robbery or fraud, though. It is about “insulting Atatürk,” Turkey's revered founder, and the accused is Dr. Atilla Yayla, who teaches political science at Ankara's Gazi University and who is also the founder of the Association for Liberal Thinking....
And
Sivas killings commemorated
June 17, 2007
Babacan and Rehn in Agora
Agora: Turkish EU membership: what lies ahead?
Each month, our head-to-head debate pits two personalities with differing opinions against each other. EuroNews gives priority to topical themes currently being debated in European society, in order to help its citizens understand what's at stake and how they may take part themselves in the decision-making process.
Ali Babacan vs Olli Rehn
New chapters are set to be opened later this month in the EU-Turkey negotiations. On the Bosphorus waters EuroNews met Ali Babacan Turkish Minister of State, Chief Negotiator of Turkey for European Union affairs and Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner for Enlargement. They debated the future of these negotiations, the growing opposition to these among European and Turkish public opinion, the influence of the current debate on secularity ahead of the Turkish general elections set to take place on July 22 nd.
Click to read.
In other developments:
May 23, 2007
RSF: "Who was Hrant Dink?
“We have killed a man whose ideas we couldn’t accept” - Orhan Pamuk
Turkey’s journalists are mourning the death of Hrant Dink, 52, a newspaper editor of Armenian origin who was gunned down on 19 January. The barbaric action of Ogün Samast, a 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist, silenced an advocate of peace and democracy. Throughout his career, Dink fought passionately for acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide, and was awarded the Henri Nannen Press Freedom Prize in recognition of his efforts. His death has exacerbated the divisions between nationalists and the more progressive sectors of Turkish society. Tirelessly committed and always controversial, Dink never lost faith in the possibility of national reconciliation.
May 12, 2007
"Turkish newspaper alleges cover-up in Hrant Dink case
"Radikal, a Turkish daily newspaper reported that some important tapped phone conversations of Erhan Tuncel, who has been singled out as the mastermind behind the assassination of Hrant Dink, prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist, on 19 January 2007 in Istanbul, have not been passed to the public prosecutors working on the Dink case.
In other developments:
FTimes claims that Turkish government wins constitutional fight BUT I believe it is early to use such strong wording. The President Mr. Sezer will probably veto it and there will be a quite uncertainty at the time elections... And Sarkozy's proposal for Mediterranean bloc makes waves and just suits the counter-Turkey moves... In the mean time, Sarkozy happens to have some Ottoman roots (!)
Continue reading ""Turkish newspaper alleges cover-up in Hrant Dink case" »