Historical heritage in Sur, Diyarbakır disappearing as Kurşunlu Mosque burning in clashes between PKK and security forces...

Clashes btw PKK and security forces burn historic mosque in southeast Turkey

A fire broke out in an Ottoman-era mosque in the Sur district of southeastern Diyarbakır province on Dec. 7 when outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants reportedly attacked it with hand-made explosives

HDP laments judicial ‘inaction’ over lawyer Tahir Elçi’s murder

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has said Turkey’s judicial institutions have so far failed to take any steps to find the perpetrator of the Nov. 28 killing of Diyarbakır Bar Association head Tahir Elçi

24 terror suspects sent to court in Istanbul

A total of 24 suspected members of to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and outlawed Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) were sent to court on Dec. 7, judicial sources said

Turkey: from conservative democracy to popular authoritarianism

open Democracy News Analysis – by Ramazan Kılınç

Turkey is experiencing a popular authoritarian moment. Defeating it requires relentless bottom-up work in an increasingly hostile environment toward criticism.

Protest sit-in is support of PKK leader Ocalan in Istanbul, December 5, 2015. Demotix/ Ozcab Soysal. All rights reserved.On Sunday, November 1, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained its majority in the parliament, winning the 49 percent of the votes. The party secured 317 seats in a 550-member parliament to continue its single-party government for another term, after losing it in the June 7 elections.

We have to remove dual-headed system, Erdoğan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the country’s “dual-headed system” of rule has to be removed, referring to the powers held by the president and the prime minister, who both come to their positions through elections

UK activists’ report on the struggle for autonomy in Silvan

open Democracy News Analysis – by Kurdish Solidarity Network

When the city of Farqîn or Silvan declared autonomy, the Turkish state responded with violence and curfews: a firsthand account of residents’ experiences.

“Autonomy means that we will live in our own way, with our own rules, our own culture and our own identity. I support this from my heart.” – Narin, resident of Farqîn