November 25, 2008
November 19, 2008
"Altan Tan: Kurds’ love affair with AK Party ending
November 15, 2008
If only there were more Greeks and Armenians...
... Turkey would be a better country to live. Maybe we wouldn't have to put up with some rulers whose only skill in life is to be born as a Turk...
Murdered journalist’s son condemns minister
ISTANBUL - Arat Dink and the defense minister both agree that the population exchanges involving thousands of Turks, Greeks and Armenians are what made the country what it is today. The disagreement is on the nature of the consequences."Gönül blunders in remark on history
ANKARA - With remarks in honor of Atatürk, the ruling AKP’s defense minister recalls the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey after World War I, attracting criticism for his nationalist language and the drift toward pro-state stances."
In the mean time,
Ara Kocunyan, chief editor of the Armenian daily newspaper Jamanak, poses for a photo at a printing house in Istanbul, in October. Jamanak, the oldest Armenian newspaper in operation in Turkey, celebrates this fall a hundred years of existence beaten by the undertow of an often tragic history.(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)
Continue reading "If only there were more Greeks and Armenians..." »
November 03, 2008
A society of informers. How Turks complain about the web?
According to an official site that is in charge of web controls, as of 1 Nov 2008, Turkish citizens filed 25.159 complaints. 12.515 were accepted. Rough translation of the graph above (counter clockwise, from the top) that demonstrates the categories of complaint: Obscenity (55,2%), peadophily (11,9), Other (0,8), gambling (5,3), prostitution (10,6), illegal drug finding help (0,4), drug abuse (0,6), encouraging suicide (2,0), betting (0,5), insulting Atatürk (12)
Index on Censorship on Internet censorship in Turkey
Index on Censorship: ‘There are more people working on censoring the Internet than developing it’
Yigal Schleifer is a correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor
The successes of Harun Yahya show just how easy it is to shut down web discussion in Turkey, writes Yigal Schleifer
Turkish Internet users woke up on 24 October to find that access to Blogger, the popular blog-hosting site owned by Google, had been blocked by a court order, because of illegal material (streams of football games) found on a handful of blogs.
Continue reading "A society of informers. How Turks complain about the web?" »
November 01, 2008
"New equation on the ‘Kurdish Issue’....
New equation on the ‘Kurdish Issue’ by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE
The Kurdish issue -- the country’s biggest problem -- is now entering a very different stage. Both sides of the issue have come to the fore. On one side is the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Democratic Society Party (DTP).Continue reading ""New equation on the ‘Kurdish Issue’...." »
October 30, 2008
"AKP’s Paternalism And Hierarchy, Not Conservatism, Is The Problem
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) is accompanied by top military officials as he attends an official ceremony to mark the 85th anniversary of Republic Day at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey, in Ankara October 29, 2008. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)
AKP’s Paternalism And Hierarchy, Not Conservatism, Is The Problem
Turkey needs an urban, secular and liberal political movement that can successfully utilize the inherent potential of society to complete the modernization process while addressing the Kurdish and secularist-anti-secularist clash, according to Dutch historian and Turkey expert Erik Jan Zürcher.
Continue reading ""AKP’s Paternalism And Hierarchy, Not Conservatism, Is The Problem" »
October 29, 2008
Blogger ban is temporarily lifted while Turkey cannot make it to the "Top 10 Countries Censoring the Web"- yet
Top 10 Countries Censoring the Web
When the World Wide Web was created in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee (not to be confused with the Internet itself, which is the core network developed many years earlier), its main objective was to enable the free exchange of information via interlinked hypertext documents.
Almost 20 years later, that objective has been accomplished on most parts of the world, but not in all of them. Some countries are trying hard to keep an iron hand over the flow of information that takes place on the Web. Below you will find the most controversial ones. [Click the title to see who are top countries]
October 26, 2008
"I’m scared Ergenekon will turn out like Şemdinli
Ergenekon trial will continue tomorrow. Not much expected from tomorrow's session. There is a round up on Ergenekon trial here. Then there is another set of round up on Constitutional Court's decisions that were released last week. Finally another set of round up on DTP leader's last week statements and Kurdish issue in general...
I’m scared Ergenekon will turn out like Şemdinli
The Ergenekon trial began last week. There is an expectation that some circles will try to sabotage the trial and dilute the facts. Propounding the views of those who oppose the trial prosecutors is also being seen as part of this plan.
Continue reading ""I’m scared Ergenekon will turn out like Şemdinli" »
October 25, 2008
Blogger banned in Turkey. Turkey, a country in negotiations with the EU
Turkish judiciary proves itself daily as the most backward section of the Establishment and AKP is about to complete its "Ankara-ization". Now relatively accepted by the gatekeepers of the Establishment, the ruling party remains indifferent to web bans.
Global Voices Advocacy » Blogger.com banned in Turkey
Turkish Bans
You have blogger? Turkey has blocker! First, it was Wordpress. Then YouTube. And now Blogger, world's largest 'free' blog service, is blocked or banned in Turkey. Why? What difference does it make? What's next? The Internet? Is this a ploy by traditional media outlets (i.e. sensationalist Turkish newspapers whose readership among porn enthusiasts is on the way down) to shut...Continue reading "Blogger banned in Turkey. Turkey, a country in negotiations with the EU" »
October 24, 2008
2nd day in the Ergenekon trial
October 21, 2008
"AFP: Turkish trial against 86 alleged plotters opens chaotically
It has been three months and they could not even prepare a room to start a proper trial. Like the indictment itself, the court process starts in mess...
AFP: Turkish trial against 86 alleged plotters opens chaotically
Continue reading ""AFP: Turkish trial against 86 alleged plotters opens chaotically" »
October 20, 2008
Ergenekon trial starts!
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I have been hearing in the news that the Prison is being prepared for this big trial for a month now. As a consequence of special Turkish planning mentality, the trial stopped short after it started because the room was not nig enough!
The judge adjourned for half an hour after he stated that was the biggest room they could find.
The list of accused.
Ergenekon trial becomes one of the 7 big trials in Turkish judiciary history:
MSP DAVASI: Necmettin Erbakan’ın Genel Başkanlığı’nı yaptığı ve 1981 yılında kapatılan Milli Selamet Partisi ile ilgili davada ise 1985 yılında sonuçlanırken tüm sanıklar beraat etti.
DEV SOL DAVASI: Dev-Sol davasında yargılanan sanık sayısında ise rekora ulaşıldı. Bin 243 kişinin yargılandığı dava henüz kesin olarak sonuçlanmadı.
YASSIADA DAVALARI: 1950-1960 döneminde Başbakanlık yapan Demokrat Parti Genel Başkanı Adnan Menderes’in idam edilmesi ile sonuçlandı. Yassıada’da yapılan yargılama sonrasında Menderes’le birlikte Menderes ve Dışişleri Bakanı Fatin Rüştü Zorlu ile Maliye Bakanı Hasan Polatkan da idam edildi.
12 EYLÜL DAVALARI: 12 Eylül 1980 tarihinden sonra da çok sanıklı davalar ardarda geldi. Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi davası ile ilgili olarak o dönemde genel başkanlık görevini yürüten Alpaslan Türkeş’le birlikte 392 kişi yargılandı. Yargılama yıllarca devam etti.
DİSK DAVASI: Barış Davası’nda aydınlar, DİSK Davası’nda da yüzlerce sendikacı hakkında dava açıldı. Aylarca süren bu davalarda da sanıkların çoğu beraat ederken, bazı sanıklar hakkındakı suçlamalar zaman aşımına uğradı.
DENİZ GEZMİŞ DAVASI: Deniz Gezmiş ve arkadaşları Ankara 1 Numaralı Sıkıyönetim Mahkemesi’nde yargılandılar. Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan ve Hüseyin İnan’ın cezaları 6 Mayıs 1972 tarihinde infaz edildi.
Under normal conditions it will take 10 days to finish reading the Indictment...
Kemal Alemdaroğlu. One of the accuseds. A big time provocateur. As a former rector of Istanbul University, he is personally responsible for spreading the headscarf ban and inciting the last decade's row on headscarf. He may escape from arrest in the end but i would not mind if he did rot in prison...
Ergenekon trial begins in Turkey 20/10 07:44 CET euronews
Ergenekon case: Trial of the century starts today Today's Zaman
Turkey puts 86 on trial over planned coup Times Online
Independent - Aljazeera.net
October 16, 2008
"Gen. Başbuğ’s threats are counterproductive
Taraf: Stop threatening and explain what happened!
Gen. Başbuğ’s threats are counterproductive
Turks have increasingly begun using their democratic right to criticize in such taboo areas as the role of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in politics since the Helsinki Summit of 1999, the year Turkey gained candidate status for accession to the European Union.
Continue reading ""Gen. Başbuğ’s threats are counterproductive" »
October 03, 2008
"2,459 newspapers, 258 TV stations in Turkey AND hundreds of websites are closed...
2,459 newspapers, 258 TV stations in Turkey
Statistics released by the Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM) indicate that Turkey has 2,459 newspapers and that 258 television stations are based in the country, in addition to providing a wealth of other information on electronic communications and entertainment in the country."When You Have A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail
On Turkish web censorship, a Financial Times article from August 22:
A law passed in 2007 gave judges the power to ban websites for inciting suicide, drug use, paedophilia, immorality, illegal prostitution or insulting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the architect of modern Turkey.
October 01, 2008
Sağlar: ‘If Susurluk had been solved, we would not be facing Ergenekon’
‘If Susurluk had been solved, we would not be facing Ergenekon’
Former Culture and Tourism Minister Fikri Sağlar, one of the most active members of the parliamentary commission set up to investigate a 1996 car accident that led to the discovery of links between the state and criminal elements, has said if a journal kept by former Naval Commander retired Adm.The ‘YouTube effect’ in Turkish politics by EMRE USLU & ÖNDER AYTAÇ
It’s no secret that widely used technological innovations fundamentally change people’s political behaviors. The Internet is one of the technological innovations that dramatically changed the behaviors of politicians, constituencies and political parties. Continue reading "Sağlar: ‘If Susurluk had been solved, we would not be facing Ergenekon’" »
September 24, 2008
"Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalist foreign policy
Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalist foreign policy
Davutoğlu argues that Turkish foreign policy had been unbalanced, with an overemphasis on ties with Western Europe and the United States to the neglect of Turkey's interests with other countries, particularly in the Middle East. His vision displays familiar characteristics of "neo-Ottomanism," which builds on the approach of former President Turgut Özal. According to this view Turkey needs to rediscover its imperial legacy and seek a new national consensus where the multiple identities of Turkey can coexist. .........Continue reading ""Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalist foreign policy" »
September 17, 2008
"Turkey fails to meet EU criteria in critical areas
Turkey fails to meet EU criteria in critical areas
The most critical norms that candidates for accession to the European Union must be committed to abiding by are the political criteria that address issues such as civil-military relations, human rights and the judiciary.Continue reading ""Turkey fails to meet EU criteria in critical areas" »
"New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey
New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey
Turkey's new army chief Gen. Ilker Basbug signaled Tuesday a new era has started regarding the relations between the military and the media.
Chief Of Staff Meets With A Select Group Of Media Organs
BİA - İstanbul,Turkey
Sedat Ergin, chief editor of the newspaper Milliyet, told that they had asked the chief of staff what their accreditation criteria regarding the newspapers
AND "New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey...
Continue reading ""New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey" »
September 14, 2008
"Memories of Sept. 12 coup still haunt Turkey
Erdal Eren, a high school kid, was one of the executeds...
Never without confronting Sept. 12
Sept. 12: Military coup, violence, torture, executions and lost generations.Memories of Sept. 12 coup still haunt Turkey
Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of a bloody military coup that took place on Sept. 12, 1980, the effects and vestiges of which still cast a dark cloud over Turkish politics.Continue reading ""Memories of Sept. 12 coup still haunt Turkey" »
September 11, 2008
"Yet Another Threat to The Turkish Republic: Postmodernism
Yet Another Threat to The Turkish Republic: Postmodernism
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] Did you know that the Turkish military sees postmodernism as a “threat” that should be fought against? We all learned that about a week ago when the new Commander of Land Forces, Gen. Işık Koşaner, made a speech which summarized all the enemies that the Turkish Armed Forces despise. These included the usual groups: “Separatists,” religious orders, and “unpatriotic” circles. But the latter included a new cadre of treacherous citizens: “the post-modernists.” The high-brow general openly stated: “The propaganda network that consists of a postmodern clique of some media, academics, finance circles and NGOs are working in order to weaken and disintegrate national unity and national values.” He also added that these “postmodern” traitors are “manipulated by global powers.”Continue reading ""Yet Another Threat to The Turkish Republic: Postmodernism" »
September 06, 2008
"What does the military’s surprise visit mean?
What does the military’s surprise visit mean? by İRFAN YILDIRIM
The Ergenekon case is still shaking Turkey. Most recently, the visit paid on behalf of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) by Kocaeli Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi to retired generals Şener Eruygur and Hurşit Tolon, who are being held in Kandıra Prison in connection with the case, has added a new dimension to the issue.
Continue reading ""What does the military’s surprise visit mean?" »
September 01, 2008
"Our generals’ selectivity of security threats
Turkey's new Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, center, is flanked by President Abdullah Gul, right, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, during the Victory Day reception in Ankara, Turkey, late Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. The celebrations marking an 86-year-old victory over Greece which was considered crucial in Turkish Independence War which led to the foundation of modern Turkish republic.
(AP Photo)Our generals used an updated terminology in which even Habermas was quoted but continued to maintain 1930s rhetoric. What I feel is that those anti-postmodernist, pro-status quo Turkish scholars might now be providing service to our generals. Better than nothing (!)
Some journalists like Ruşen Çakır read between the lines and provide a more positive outlook. But of course Mr. Çakır has shown signs of anti-Ergenekon case during summer. So it is your choice. I still liked some of his commentaries in NTV and I believe at the least the Chief of Staff- though classified as an hawk- will prefer not to explicitly intervene in politics.
As I noted before, I believe, as long as civil political authority is powerful, whatever rhetoric the military has, politics will be not be interfered...
Our generals’ selectivity of security threats
Today, telecommunications technology, globalization and increased education have transformed Turkey and provided it a level of transparency, leading many people to not be convinced by demagogic rhetoric.Continue reading ""Our generals’ selectivity of security threats" »
August 28, 2008
"Nosemonkey interviewed: On EU blogs and Russia
Nosemonkey interviewed: On EU blogs and Russia
Believe it or not, from time to time people actually ask me for my opinion on things, rather than me just spouting out unsolicited words into the electronic ether and hoping that someone may spot them and correct my mistakes.
As such, this evening I’ll be doing the talking head thing on the BBC World Service’s World Have Your Say, trying to come up with a coherent theory about Russia’s current plans and how the rest of the world should respond. (Likely argument? Russia’s being childish and throwing a tantrum, and there’s usually two responses to tantrums: smack them or ignore them. Unfortunately, neither option’s really possible in this case.) Any suggestions much appreciated.
The Caucasus war viewed through Europe's blogs
Blogospheres are vibrating in the aftermath of the war in the Caucasus. The need to understand and debate is huge, as spin doctors have been manipulating the news on both sides
NEXT NEWS IS WRONG. YOUTUBE STATED TODAY THAT THE BAN CONTINUES; Erkan now believes only a YouTube generation can save Turkey. So far, I haven't heard a single person who defends the ban. Only after the system does not support any more those unique cases who goes to court for a ban and of course those backward-minded judges who support the unique cases...As you can see if these were particular, exceptional cases there would not be a ban. There is something more systemic.
YouTube returns after three-month ban
Access to YouTube, a popular video sharing Web site banned in early May by a controversial court decision for broadcasting videos deemed insulting to the nation's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was reinstated on Saturday night."Continue reading ""Nosemonkey interviewed: On EU blogs and Russia" »
August 27, 2008
JITEM Linked To Human and Arms Trafficking...
Ergenekon divides Kurdish politicans, too.
Ergenekon Investigation: Military Unit Linked To Human and Arms Trafficking
Documents seized in a police raid on the house of an executive of a TV station as part of the ongoing Ergenekon operation have revealed that a secret and illicit military intelligence unit known as JITEM was engaged in several illegal acts, including drug and human smuggling and arms trade with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)….Continue reading "JITEM Linked To Human and Arms Trafficking..." »
August 25, 2008
"Ergenekon: worries and hopes
last week something like a minor judiciary coup happened within judiciary circles. I realize today that I have not emphasized that enough. A prosecutor from Ankara ordered the search of Ergenekon's Istanbul based prosecutor's headquarters. The claim was that Ankara prosecutor believed there was illegal phone listening happening in Istanbul prosecutor's office. So like an ambush, some officials visited the Istanbul office, then began to have a look who was being listened. This is a giant scandal. Some officials were found to be listing those who was being listened. This is a scandal. This is a judiciary intervention to an ongoing trial by another section of Turkish judiciary. I hear that some bureaucrats in Ankara are very anxious because of the Ergenekon trial.
I hear that there are already new 'understandings' after the AKP closure case. One shouldn't be very hopeful any more (!).
Ergenekon: worries and hopes
What will the outcome of the Ergenekon case be? This question alone is sufficient to explain the hopes and worries about the future of Turkey.Elder brother caught in Dink case
The older brother of one of the main suspects in the murder of journalist Hrant Dink was detained by police yesterday. Osman Hayal was detained for being in Istanbul when a teenage nationalistErgenekon questions in Malatya massacre case
The lead suspect in the Malatya massacre case denied any connection with retired Maj. Gen. Levent Ersöz, who was arrested in relation to the Ergenekon case, in a trial at Malatya's Third CourtAugust 24, 2008
"853 Websites Banned in Turkey
FT.com / World - Turkish bloggers censure the censors
By Alex Barker in Ankara and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New YorkTurkish bloggers are closing their websites to protest against courts banning dozens of mainstream sites for carrying content deemed “immoral” or insulting to Turkey’s founding father."
853 Websites Banned in Turkey
There are currently 853 Web sites banned in Turkey, including video-sharing site YouTube and dailymotion.com, placing Turkey in the league of countries such as China and Saudi Arabia, famous for restricting freedom of speech.Web sites are most often banned on grounds that they insult the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, contain vulgarity, enable gambling or promote suicide. Many sites have also been banned for crimes covered under the Internet Security Law. But a number of sites are banned for no apparent reason. The latest Web site to be banned was gundemonline.com, which was blocked by Ankara’s 11th High Criminal Court without any justification. VIA
August 22, 2008
"What did you do for the EU today?
This is a column title by İsmet Berkan but it well portrays my state of affairs; sort of. For the last few days, I am satisfied with the pace of writing and unfortunately these lonely office hours in evenings do not help. I would prefer a crowded and noisy office to this silent and being-alone office. I am glad this damn summer is ending. and here comes a round up mostly on Turkey's fantasies with all-track diplomacy...
August 18, 2008
"Web Censorship Is So Bad in Turkey That Blogs Are Shutting Themselves Down In Protest
View of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. EFE/Emilio Naranjo. found in Chinese Director Zhang Yimou Presents Dazzling Opening Ceremony at The Olympic Games
I was not aware of this campaign as my life was disrupted by Yahoo! But probably I would not hear it on time. As usual, there is also a blogger community which is reclusive in some sense and I am an outsider. I realized this in a recent Turkish blogging awards stuff. I heard about the competition when the list of candidates were released. I compared mine and others in many categories and could not know why I wasn't there. Most of blogs are in Turkish of course and blog networks are based on some sort of friendship networks. If you are not in it, then you are out. This is the same for many issues (like cinema circles) and not different in new media stuff. Otherwise, mine is known, too but only needed when they need a sample for 'English language' blogs:) Still the campaign is good though 'authorities' will only be happy to see more closed websites (!)
Web Censorship Is So Bad in Turkey That Blogs Are Shutting Themselves Down In Protest
Erick SchonfeldIt doesn’t take much to get your Website banned in Turkey. Pretty much any complaint to a lower court can get a Website blocked in the country. Websites including YouTube, DailyMotion, Alibaba, Slide.com, and some Wordpress blogs have all been banned, usually because of some purported slight to the Turkish government or Mustafa Kemal Ataturk."
148 Turkish websites in protest against government ban
This week 148 153 (the number is rising) Turkish websites are shut down as a protest against the government ban. The Turkish government blocks YouTube since January this year. And in the last few weeks various other international websites like DailyMotion are also blocked. The 148 website as listed here show this text at their frontpage:
Bu siteye erişim kendi kararıyla engellenmiştir