Eutalsat suspends Roj TV; French Senate commission finds genocide bill ?unacceptable?…A foreign policy roundup

Eutalsat suspends the Kurdish television network Roj TV

from On Turkish Media and Cultural Politics by ecealgan
After Danish court found Roj TV guilty of promoting terrorism on Jan 10, 2012, Eutalsat decided to suspend Kurdish transnational broadcasting station Roj TV?s transmission today. Even though this is a smart move for Eutalsat, which is one of the world?s three leading satellite operators and thus solely driven by commercial interests, it nevertheless is a move that can have negative consequences for Kurdish transnational media in general and human rights demands of Kurdish people in particular, especially for Kurdish people in Turkey, who are oppressed by the current government, AKP. Danish court fined Roj TV for its links with PKK but it didn?t revoke its license.
from Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey increased pressure on Denmark for the closure of the Kurdish television station ROJ TV…
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France?s ?genocide? bill stumbles ahead of vote

from Hurriyet Daily News
A Senate panel says it would be unconstitutional for France to approve a bill…

 

French Senate commission finds genocide bill ?unacceptable?

France?s Constitutional Commission has declared that a bill that would criminalize denials of the 1915 events as genocide is contrary to the constitution, daily Hürriyet reported today.

 

In France, genocide has become a political brickbat | Timothy Garton Ash

from World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Timothy Garton Ash
Next week’s bill on denial of Ottoman atrocities against Armenians is an attack on free speech, one of many around the world
Next Monday the French Senate is to vote on a bill that will criminalise denial of the Armenian genocide of 1915, along with any other events recognised as genocide in French law. The bill has already passed through the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament. The Senate should reject it, in the name of free speech, the freedom of historical inquiry and article 11 of France’s path-breaking 1789 declaration of the rights of man and citizen (“the free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights ?”).
by Acturca
Le Monde (France) lundi 16 janvier 2012, p. 17 Robert Badinter * La proposition de loi qui prévoit de sanctionner la contestation du génocide arménien ne peut pas être adoptée. Car elle est excessive et inconstitutionnelle Par expérience personnelle, je sais combien il est douloureux d?entendre dénier la réalité d?un génocide qui a englouti vos […]
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Perry makes no U-turn on ?terror? row

from Hurriyet Daily News
U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry refused Jan. 17 to disavow his earlier remark that Turkey was run by ?terrorists? and instead stepped up his criticism of Ankara, shaking off a rare intervention by the State Department.

 

Turkey responds angrily to Perry remarks

Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned Texas Gov. Rick Perry Tuesday for saying that Turkey was a “country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists.”

Perry ‘terrorists’ remark angers Turkey

Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned Texas Gov. Rick Perry Tuesday for saying that Turkey was a “country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists.”

 

Fact Check: Why Rick Perry is Right About Turkey

by Turkish Digest
Telling the truth about Erdogan and the AKP is about more than condemning a gang of Islamst thugs who have used Saudi money to seize control of what was once the most modern Muslim country
Fact Check: Why Rick Perry is Right About Turkey
Author
– Daniel Greenfield Wednesday, January 18, 2012

 


Opposition moves for closer EU dialogue

from Hurriyet Daily News
Eager to raise its international profile, Turkey?s main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP)..
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Turkey dropping Marmara lawsuits

from Turkish Digest

US sources say Ankara suspending legal proceedings against Israeli elements involved in 2010 Marmara raid

More:Turkey dropping Marmara lawsuits – Israel News, Ynetnews

 

Turkish foreign ministry denies flotilla lawsuit suspension

from Hurriyet Daily News
Turkish foreign ministry denied claims that Turkey was preparing to suspend lawsuits from the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid today.

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Turkey: Can Ankara Serve as Democratization Role Model?

from EurasiaNet.org – Turkey by k_kumkova

The mistaken, late December Turkish airstrike that left 35 Kurdish civilians dead highlights an apparent shift in US policy toward Ankara. The change could end up undermining efforts to promote democratization in the Middle East and North Africa.

 

Turkey model for Arab world up for debate

from Hurriyet Daily News
Award-winning journalist and chairman and founder of the Doha Debates Tim Sebastian will ask whether Turkey can serve as a model for the new Arab states in the Middle East in a forum to be held in Istanbul today.

 

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Don’t cross Ankara
The Economist (blog)
The long-running “Ergenekon” investigation into an alleged coup plot has netted hundreds of arrests but not a single conviction. On January 10th the Council of Europe, a human-rights watchdog, released a report describing “long-standing,

 


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